Iraola Highlights Liverpool's Need for More Than Just Wingers
Liverpool’s summer has felt long, busy and oddly incomplete.
Jeremy Jacquet and Victor Munoz walked through the door early in the window. Ronald Araujo followed on loan from Barcelona a couple of weeks ago, a headline arrival designed to steady the defence.
Now the spotlight has swung to the top end of the pitch. The club have agreed a £120m deal with Paris Saint-Germain for Bradley Barcola, a statement move aimed at injecting fresh firepower into the front line. Bids have also gone in for Yankuba Minteh and Ismaila Sarr, only to be knocked back in recent days.
The pattern is obvious: Liverpool are hunting wingers. But that is only half the story.
Midfield Still the Sore Spot
While the wide areas dominate the rumour mill, the middle of the pitch remains the real bruise from last season’s failed title defence. Liverpool’s midfield was exposed too often, too easily, and nothing in this window has truly addressed that.
If anything, it has deteriorated.
Curtis Jones has departed for Inter Milan in a £30m deal, stripping away one of the few established options in the centre. The consequences were laid bare again on opening weekend, as Liverpool laboured to a 2-2 draw at Newcastle United, their control slipping just when they needed to close the game down.
Five days remain in the window. The questions are getting louder. Andoni Iraola hears them as clearly as anyone.
“We Need Players in the Wide Areas” – But Not Only There
Speaking before Liverpool’s clash with Nottingham Forest, Iraola was pressed on what might still happen before the deadline.
“There are certain things we can but it's true we need players in the wide areas,” he admitted, underlining the push for Barcola and the failed moves for Minteh and Sarr.
Then came the broader hint.
“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 was a small line with a big implication: Liverpool are not looking only at wingers. Other positions are on the table if the right opportunity appears.
For now, though, the uncertainty grates on the head coach.
“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.”
Pressure on the Hierarchy
Iraola’s assessment leaves little room for doubt. He sees gaps out wide. He sees weaknesses elsewhere. He wants more than just one fix.
The message now sits firmly with the Liverpool hierarchy and sporting director Richard Hughes. The squad has attacking targets lined up, a major winger deal agreed and other bids already rebuffed. The midfield, stripped of Curtis Jones and still short of authority, waits for its turn.
Five days. One restless coach. A fanbase watching every move.
Liverpool have made their intentions clear on the flanks. The real judgement will come if they dare to strengthen the rest.
