Andoni Iraola provides “guarantee” on Cody Gakpo's Liverpool future

It is all happening from a Liverpool transfer news point of view. On Thursday morning, it was widely reported that the Reds have agreed an £120 million fee with Paris Saint-Germain to sign Bradley Barcola. This deal, finally, looks set to get over the line.

Meantime, having decided that Brighton's £80 million valuation of Yankuba Minteh was too high, the club are now pushing to sign Ismaïla Sarr, who wants out of Crystal Palace. The Senegalese winger is valued at in excess of £50 million by the Eagles.

With all that, and so much more, going on, it is easy to forget that Liverpool actually have a game to prepare for. Speaking ahead of his first competitive match in charge at Anfield against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, head coach Andoni Iraola was asked if Cody Gakpo could leave, given that two new wingers might be on their way in. Well, the 44 year old did not shut this down as a possibility:

" I cannot guarantee anything... when the market is open and we bring in expensive players I cannot guarantee anything... experience tells us that if there's an opportunity the last day you can do something. "

Andoni Iraola on Cody Gakpo

Iraola refused to rule anything out when it comes to incomings or, in Gakpo's case, outgoings. Nevertheless, the Basque manager was once again full of praise for his 27 year old attacker:

"After performance he had in first game I say the same, he's playing very well for us. He's been very good since he's been back from World Cup. The right attitude and I hope we can keep him at that level. He can be very influential on us"

Andoni Iraola on Cody Gakpo

Gakpo started and scored against Newcastle United in the Reds' Premier League opener last Sunday, and looked generally like their most dangerous attacking player throughout.

So, even if Barcola and Sarr are signed, allowing the Netherlands international to leave, especially to join a Premier League rival, may prove to be a mistake. Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City remain the two clubs most strong interested in his signature.

Speaking later on during Thursday's press conference, Iraola reiterated his need for additions in wide attacking areas, something he has asserted repeatedly for weeks now:

"it's true we need players in the wide areas. I'm sure if we can improve other areas we will but I don't know how the market is going to finish. I have to be patient as well as you. It's very uncomfortable for me as you are dealing with uncertainties all the time. In four or five days we will know what we have and then we can make proper plans."

Andoni Iraola on transfers

Having lost Mohamed Salah, new wingers has been the primary focus of Liverpool's transfer business this summer. They have already brought in Víctor Muñoz from Osasuna for £34.5 million, but the Spaniard, alongside Gakpo, teenager Rio Ngumoha and he always injured Federico Chiesa, is not exactly the selection of elite level wide-attackers the boss was hoping for.

As Iraola himself alluded to, there are certainly other areas of his squad that could do with reinforcing too. Jeremie Frimpong continues to look suspect at right-back, while the midfield trio of Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai alongside Florian Wirtz was wide open on Tyneside last weekend. Nevertheless, Iraola has already ruled out the possibility of signing a specialist defensive midfielder.

With Hugo Ekitiké sidelined long-term, there is no obvious deputy at centre-forward behind Alexander Isak, a role Gakpo could fill, making it even more baffling if the Dutchman is sold. Liverpool are certainly going to run out of time to get all of this done during this window; whether or not Gakpo is apart of this team going forward remains one of many question marks.

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