The Bradley Barcola signing is on the cards for Liverpool, as the Reds have reportedly agreed on an offer of £120 million with Paris Saint-Germain for the Frenchman. The Bradley Barcola signing is going to be useful for the Reds if Cody Gakpo leaves the club for Tottenham Hotspur in the last few days of the summer transfer window.
Barcola is a two-time UEFA Champions League winner with PSG, and his inclusion will certainly strengthen Liverpool. However, the Reds’ continuation of big signings has not yielded much result yet, and they lost in their first match of the season against Newcastle United.
Bradley Barcola Signing: Another Expensive Signing With A Lot Of Expectation
The Bradley Barcola signing will definitely strengthen Liverpool on paper, at least. Barcola was part of the PSG team that won two successive trebles, and at the age of 23, he has scored 39 goals in 152 matches for the Parisians. However, the fact that the Bradley Barcola signing is going to be the third Liverpool signing bearing a transfer fee of more than £100 million during the last year or so is noteworthy. Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz are the other two, and both of them are yet to impress at Liverpool with their performances.
The Reds spent more than £400 million in the last transfer window, but failed miserably in defending their Premier League title, which led to the sacking of Arne Slot. In the current transfer window, they have not been very forthcoming, but are still very close to signing a big-money signing in Barcola. The performance of the two full-backs signed in the last transfer window, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez, has come under a lot of scrutiny as well.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: FPL Gameweek 2: Fantasy Football Must-Haves, Captain Picks and Injury Report
How Will Barcola Help Liverpool?
The Bradley Barcola signing will be, however, very important for Liverpool if Gakpo leaves. In fact, it will be essential for them if Gakpo is no longer there, as Gakpo became a crucial player in the Reds’ side, with the Dutchman spending the last four seasons at Anfield and having played in 181 matches for Liverpool.
Barcola is younger and probably more skilful than the Dutchman; however, one could argue that Gakpo is probably the more prolific goal-scorer. The job for Andoni Iraola, however, is going to be more challenging, as he will now have to extract good performances from three of his high-value players.
After having spent so much money, the club will expect the triumvirate of Wirtz, Isak and Barcola to take their attack to much greater heights. However, the playing positions of Wirtz and Barcola will be interesting to see, as the former’s presence as the number 10 disrupts the balance of Liverpool’s midfield to a large extent.
Barcola is more comfortable playing on the left flank, and if Gakpo departs, the Frenchman will play on the left flank only. However, if Gakpo stays, it will be interesting to see whether Iraola opts to play Barcola on the right flank, given that almost all of his wingers are more comfortable playing on the left.
The Bradley Barcola signing is going to be yet another high-value one for Liverpool. The supporters will not mind that if the trophies come as a result of it. However, another barren season might test their patience and might not be good for Iraola’s future at the club.
More Premier League News
Premier League Transfer $100m Era: Why Football’s Biggest Clubs Are Spending So Much
Nicolas Jackson Transfer: Why Aston Villa Are Betting Big on the Chelsea Forward
