Former Red claims Liverpool transfer window is mixed

Liverpool transfer window leaves Andoni Iraola with quality, but key squad balance concerns

Liverpool’s summer transfer window has delivered both ambition and uncertainty, with significant money committed, several high-profile arrivals completed and yet a clear sense that important areas of the squad remain unresolved.

The broad outline of the market is easy to understand. Liverpool moved decisively in some positions, particularly in wide attacking areas, while also strengthening at centre-back and adding a young goalkeeper for the future. At the same time, departures and injuries have sharpened the focus on whether the squad has been built with the right balance for the season ahead.

That is the central issue now facing Andoni Iraola. He has inherited a group containing genuine talent and proven pedigree, but one that still appears short in specific roles, especially on the right side of attack, at full-back and potentially in midfield.

Jamie Carragher summed up that feeling clearly when assessing the club’s business. “I think it’s been okay, really. The main thing was to improve in the wide areas, and they’ve brought two wingers in. I’m hoping in the next few hours there might be another, but they’ve brought in Bradley Barcola and Victor Munoz as well.”

Image: @LFC

Liverpool transfers bring attacking depth

Liverpool’s incoming business has not lacked activity. Jeremy Jacquet arrived after an agreement with Rennes earlier in the year, Victor Munoz joined from Osasuna to offer pace and flexibility across the frontline, and Ronald Araujo came in on loan from Barcelona for the season. Bradley Barcola’s long-running move was eventually completed from Paris Saint-Germain, while Lucca Brughmans signed from Genk before immediately returning to Belgium on loan.

Those deals followed an approach that has increasingly favoured elite-level talent and significant investment. Barcola, in particular, is viewed internally and externally as a major addition, one capable of becoming a central figure in Liverpool’s next attacking phase. His arrival carries extra significance given the summer departure of Mohamed Salah, even if Barcola naturally operates from the opposite side.

That nuance matters. Liverpool have addressed the need for more quality in wide areas in a general sense, but the profile of the options available remains open to question. In modern squad-building, simply adding attackers is not the same as adding the correct attackers.

The same former defender said: “They made a great start at the weekend, too. The real signing is Barcola, and you’re talking about replacing Mo Salah as a name, if you like, but it’s on the opposite flank. The big disappointment is that we’ve known for a long time that Mo Salah was leaving the club, and we haven’t got a real out-and-out right-sided attacker.”

Squad balance issue remains unresolved

This is where Liverpool’s transfer window becomes more complicated. There is little argument over the calibre of the players signed. The concern is how naturally they fit together.

Barcola and Munoz improve the squad, and Araujo adds experience and authority at the back. Yet Liverpool still appear overloaded in certain attacking zones and light in others. The lack of a natural left-footed right winger stands out, particularly for a side that had such a defined reference point in that role for so long.

As put bluntly in that assessment: “All the wide players we have right now are right-footed. We haven’t got anybody with a left foot on that right side who can come inside onto their left foot like Mo Salah did, with devastating effect.”

That tactical detail feeds into the wider concern. Liverpool may have collected top-level talent, but the overall construction of the squad remains debatable. For clubs challenging at the top end of the Premier League, recruitment is rarely judged only on individual quality. It is judged on whether each signing solves a problem, complements what already exists and gives the head coach the tools to build a coherent team.

The criticism in this case is pointed: “So I’m disappointed because we’ve got a lot of players who play in the same position, and I’m not quite sure what we’re going to do on that right wing right now. It doesn’t look like a balanced squad, basically. That’s what I’m saying. We’re short in the full-back areas and, for me, probably a midfield player as well.”

Andoni Iraola faces key tactical challenge

Iraola now has the immediate task of finding solutions within the resources available. That may involve positional adaptations, trust in younger options or a tactical structure that reduces the exposure of the current squad flaws. None of those routes are impossible, but they do place extra weight on coaching.

Liverpool’s exits have also played their part in shaping the picture. Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott and Stefan Bajcetic moving on has altered the midfield depth and removed versatile options from the wider group. Meanwhile, Conor Bradley’s injury has intensified concern around right-back, with Liverpool lacking obvious specialist cover in that position.

That concern was articulated with little room for doubt: “I sit there scratching my head and thinking, we’ve got four left wingers and we haven’t got one right winger. Something like that just doesn’t feel right to me. You look at the full-back areas as well. We haven’t really got an out-and-out right-back now because Conor Bradley has got injured. A club the size of Liverpool should have better backup or should go into the market right now.”

There is also a broader philosophical point here. Liverpool’s recent windows have shown a willingness to compete for premium talent at premium prices. That can energise supporters and elevate the squad ceiling. But it also invites scrutiny over planning, particularly when certain structural needs seem to persist.

That same line of thinking was expressed clearly: “But I said this last summer, and it’s probably the same again with Barcola: Liverpool in the last two summers, it’s almost been like Liverpool were Real Madrid, and they’re just going for the best player on the market for the most money.”

Premier League expectations remain high

There is no suggestion Liverpool have had a poor summer in absolute terms. Far from it. Barcola is a statement signing, Araujo should improve defensive depth, and Munoz offers another dynamic option in attack. For a fuller breakdown of the club’s latest activity, details can be found here.

Yet the Premier League does not allow much room for unfinished squad-building. Liverpool remain a club with title-level expectations, even after the turbulence of recent seasons, and the standard applied will always be severe.

That is why the final verdict on this Liverpool transfer window feels mixed. The quality is evident, the spending has been considerable and several arrivals are exciting. Still, there is a difference between assembling expensive players and constructing a complete squad.

The closing assessment captures the mood around Anfield: “The new manager has come in right now, and Liverpool won the league just over a year ago. We’ve spent an awful lot of money since then, and I don’t think anybody inside Liverpool supporters really believes we can win the league this season, or that the manager has the tools to go and win the league this season. That just doesn’t feel right.”

That is the challenge now. Iraola has quality at his disposal, but Liverpool’s transfer window may ultimately be judged less on the names they signed and more on the gaps they left behind.