Iraola may have just found Liverpool’s answer to Barcola vs Wrexham

Liverpool’s mainstays are back in the running following surprise summer breaks, and Andoni Iraola will be getting a clearer picture of his side ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.

On Wednesday evening GMT, Liverpool beat Wrexham 1-0 at Yankee Stadium in the United States, continuing their pre-season winning streak. It was an experimental program, full of youngsters and stars who could play their football elsewhere in a month’s time.

It’s important not to read too closely into pre-season – Liverpool lost three consecutive friendlies in 2019 ahead of their Premier League-winning campaign under Jurgen Klopp – but there are promising signs.

Iraola’s principles are distinguishable; Arne Slot is different. Fast, forward, daring football is the order of the day for the Spaniard, and while it’s exciting, he still needs more quality.

That said, the right signing – such as Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola – could make a big difference, with pre-season setting a promising precedent for the style of football Liverpool will play under Iraola.

Liverpool’s talking points from pre-season

Liverpool’s players over the pond include mainly youth stars. Victor Munoz, signed from Osasuna for £35.5m in June, is out after winning the World Cup with Spain, while £60m centre-back Jeremy Jacquet is missing from his new home after suffering a shoulder injury in February against Rennes.

Could Jacquet meet countryman Barcola in the coming weeks? Barcola, 23, has agreed a deal with Liverpool, who are putting together a formal package to bring him from France, and Iraola’s fast-paced style of football could be perfect for his direct attack.

With limited options, Liverpool are falling back on the playing field seen in a title-challenging team. Rio Ngumoha, 17, has done well in the pool so far, scoring the winner in Liverpool’s win over Wrexham.

He is a real talent, and someone who will challenge Barcola next season, for years to come. His fleet footwork may even surpass that of the Les Bleus star.

Then there’s Trey Bird. The young midfielder is extremely talented, and there is no mistaking it. Sky Sports commentator Pythagoras in Boots noted that he was “smoother than soap”, moving through the middle of the pitch, controlling play and crafty to steal. There is a real player there, and Iraola’s previous experience of developing young midfielders like Bournemouth’s Alex Scott bodes well.

It is worth noting that Ngumoha was placed on the right side when Liverpool beat the Ryan Reynolds project. Should we learn from that? Did Iraola simply relieve him of a mirror role due to a lack of options? It was a convincing, if rusty, performance, and will have given the new coach some food for thought.

“I think the lack of confidence on both sides is important,” Ngumoha said a few weeks ago. He is testing that now.

Ngumoha and the Bird were not the only ones who came to catch their eye. As the relevant FSG officials work for Barcola, another young Red issued a statement, saying that Iraola may still have his own version at the club.

Iraola may have found his own Barcola for Liverpool

It is important for Liverpool to complete a statement to sign a striker like Barcola. Mohamed Salah is no longer wearing red, after all. However, Iraola knows he has a potential star in Ngumoha, and the excitement doesn’t end there.

Josh Abe, 16, made a strong debut for Liverpool against Wrexham, playing the first 45 minutes down the right flank before being subbed off by Ngumoha in the nick of time.

The youngster was courted by any number of top English outfits before agreeing to a scholarship with Liverpool earlier this year. A pre-contract agreement is in place, a three-year deal that will start when he turns 17 in July 2027.

This one is for the future, but Abe has the world at his feet. Already being compared to Sadio Mane for his furious, electric style, he made his unofficial debut this week and impressed.

Abe may have missed his biggest chance to get his name on the scoresheet, but we shouldn’t read too much into that. It would be easy to blame a player for a bad miss, but what about running, linking up with Harvey Elliott, a man with a point to prove.

Indeed, what about the self-confidence and visible physical qualities that will grow into something even stronger as he sheds his youth and grows into his superior skin in the years to come.

There is a certain Barcola-esque quality about him. Mane’s comparison hammers home. As Abe goes from strength to strength and holds on to the goalscoring potential within his cabinet, such comparisons may deepen.

Ngumoha may have scored where Abe missed, but both sides showed strength and power on the right, and Abe probably beat him in that.

While the left-footed striker’s prospects will be competitive this season – should he make his debut – there is no doubt that Liverpool have a Barcola-esque striker at their disposal.

REUTERS/Sam Navarro

Abe may be more direct than Ngumoha. He cuts through the area at any opportunity, and Ngumoha plays so well that you can take him in any direction. In that regard, Abe could be the next version of Barcola, who you can take under his wing in the next few years, if FSG do a deal.