Andoni Iraola has echoed the rising anxiety among Liverpool supporters regarding the club’s summer recruitment, admitting the Reds remain dangerously short on wide options ahead of the new campaign.
Speaking in the wake of Curtis Jones' departure to Inter Milan, the head coach did not hide his concern over a threadbare frontline, confirming the squad lacks sufficient depth on the flanks while recruitment chiefs continue to prioritise attack-minded targets.
While the Premier League returns this weekend, supporters of many clubs up and down the country are perhaps more occupied with transfer news than their teams' actual matches. This is certainly the case for many Liverpool fans right now.
It has been a few days since we have heard anything about the Reds' pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain duo Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye, while it emerged on Thursday that they had seen a £50 million bid rejected by Brighton for Yankuba Minteh.
Thus, it is clear that new wide attackers is what the club are prioritising, a viewpoint endorsed by the head coach.
Speaking to the assembled media ahead of Liverpool's opening weekend Premier League clash with Newcastle United, Andoni Iraola made his feelings abundantly clear:
"We don't have enough wingers. "Andoni Iraola
This quote came about when the 44 year old Basque manager was asked whether or not he believed Cody Gakpo is a viable option to be deployed as the number nine. He stated that "Cody can play as a number nine", but noted he is yet to do so during pre-season due to a lack of wide options.
When asked about the transfer window directly, the boss made it clear that this is not his favourite time of year:
"I wanted the players for the first day... but you understand how the competition works, that the market is open and you start the competition. We have to adapt as coaches to this situation. I hate these two weeks.. that we have because there is a lot of uncertainty... I know that you will ask me a lot of questions about the market and this, but I am focused on the game against Newcastle. That is massive for me and using the very good players that we have... so we can be competitive from the beginning."Andoni Iraola
The quote to pick out from Iraola's answer is "I hate these two weeks... because there is a lot of uncertainty". The new manager is a coach, first and foremost, so would ideally have liked to spend all pre-season working with a set squad at AXA Training Centre, but certainly has not been able to do so.
So far this summer, Jérémy Jacquet has joined from Stade Rennais, albeit that deal was agreed while Arne Slot was still in charge in January. Meantime, VÃctor Muñoz has arrived from Osasuna, the Reds activating his £34.5 million release clause, with Ronald Araújo coming in on loan from Barcelona.
Those are all, in relative terms, pretty straight-forward deals to finalise, meaning Liverpool are set to land a top target, speaking specifically about the PSG duo. What Iraola does have is a team capable of beating Newcastle on Sunday and then Nottingham Forest next Saturday, before the window closes the following Tuesday. However, if the Reds are going to be serious contenders in the Premier League and Champions League again, they need more, and the head coach knows it.
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