Will Bournemouth be the setting for Bradley Barcola's first goal in Liverpool colours? So far, since completing his £123 million move from Paris Saint-Germain, the Frenchman has accumulated 176 minutes in a red shirt, starting against both Fulham and Atlético Madrid at Anfield.
During this time on the pitch, the winger has had four shots, of which two have been on target, as well as recording two key passes. However, he is yet to register a goal nor an assist, but his manager is not at all worried.
Speaking during his press conference at AXA Training Centre on Friday afternoon, ahead of Liverpool's visit to Bournemouth in the Premier League on Sunday, Andoni Iraola assured supporters that the best is yet to come from Barcola:
"With Bradley, the more he plays the better he becomes. He came without pre-season minutes, but in a good shape. Like all signings, he'll need time to adjust. But he is used to playing high-level games."Andoni Iraola on Bradley Barcola
Thus, it is full expected that the France international will start at the Vitality Stadium this weekend, before heading to Clairefontaine, ahead of Zinédine Zidane's first matches in charge of les Bleus. Back at club level, wide forward is one of the few positions Iraola has plenty of options from which to chose.
He describes this as a "luxury", with Cody Gakpo, Víctor Muñoz and Rio Ngumoha, who was called up by England on Friday, all viable starters for important matches, alongside Barcola. Even at this early stage of the season, Iraola has deployed all of his wingers on both flanks, something he was asked about during the press conference, to which he had this to say:
"In the case of our wingers, we have this moments where they change sides. If something isn't working or we can damage the opponents... I think it is good they are communicating, I don't mind this. They can say to me maybe they should change, sometimes we will, sometimes not. Wingers can play both sides."Andoni Iraola on wingers
Barcola in action 🎯🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/9FQ446eX4Q
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 17, 2026
By the South Coast on Sunday, it would appear most likely that Barcola and Gakpo are the starters, albeit it is tough to forecast who will be on which side. The Dutchman started and scored against Tottenham in the EFL Cup on Tuesday night, doing so from the left, while Barcola was introduced in the 72nd minute, taking Ngumoha's place on the right.
Either-way, this is an added conundrum for Marco Rose to figure out, with this unpredictability perhaps making Iraola's Liverpool more dangerous than they were under Arne Slot before.
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