Iraola Embraces Liverpool’s Rebuild as New Head Coach
Andoni Iraola has made it clear: Liverpool’s squad is now his responsibility.
The new head coach says he is “very happy” with the club’s summer business and insists the next step is on him and his staff, not the recruitment department.
Liverpool made four major signings, headlined by the £123m capture of Bradley Barcola from Paris St-Germain, and the winger is in line to feature in Friday’s Premier League opener against Ipswich Town.
“I’m very happy with the signings,” Iraola said. “Now it is the moment for me and the players to develop what we have.”
Big money in wide areas, quiet in the middle
The club chose not to move in two areas that had sparked the most debate: right-back and central midfield. Iraola defended that stance, stressing that Liverpool walked away from deals that did not fit either the football plan or the budget.
“Do I want more signings? In the end, the club has decided those signings we have done are the ones that will improve our team, improve the positions,” he explained.
“There were other options that we decided not to take for different reasons, sometimes sporting or economical. It didn’t make sense in the market for those moves.”
The summer was not as frantic as the headline figures suggest. A £60m deal for centre-back Jeremy Jacquet had been tied up back in January, long before Iraola walked through the door. Under his watch, Liverpool then moved for winger Victor Munoz from Osasuna for £34.5m and secured defender Ronald Araujo on loan from Barcelona.
The statement is clear: pace and power out wide, a high-level defender through the middle, and trust in what is already in the building elsewhere.
No Jones replacement – by design
One of the boldest calls came in midfield. Curtis Jones left for Inter Milan in a £30m transfer after making 49 appearances last season. Liverpool did not replace him.
That decision piles more responsibility on Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Wataru Endo, with youngster Trey Nyoni pushing from below.
“In midfield we have good numbers,” Iraola said. “Now it’s a matter of getting the right calls from myself.”
He knows the schedule will test those numbers quickly.
“I’m finding now the best combinations and we are going through a period now where we will play a lot of games and we’ll have a chance to see the options we have and the combinations we have. It’s a matter of coaching.”
The message is blunt: the tools are there, it’s on the manager to use them properly.
Holding firm on Gakpo
One player Iraola was not prepared to lose was Cody Gakpo. Manchester City tested Liverpool’s resolve with an £80m bid for the Dutch forward, but the offer was rejected.
“I’m glad to keep Cody Gakpo because he is a valuable player,” Iraola said.
With Barcola arriving for a record fee, Araujo adding steel at the back, and Gakpo retained despite heavyweight interest, Liverpool have chosen clarity over chaos.
The squad is set. Now Iraola has to prove that his conviction in “what we have” can carry Liverpool through the months ahead.
