Liverpool's New Season Begins as Iraola Era Starts Against Newcastle

Liverpool’s new season starts with a split focus and a tightrope. On one side, Andoni Iraola’s Premier League debut at St James’ Park. On the other, a transfer window that still looks worryingly unfinished.

The club head to Newcastle on Sunday with the sense of a project still under construction. Alexander Isak will be reunited with his former side, a neat subplot to a fixture already loaded with intrigue. For Iraola, though, this is about more than nostalgia. It’s about proving Liverpool can move past a flat second campaign under Arne Slot and edge back towards a title race.

Expectation followed Iraola through the Anfield doors this summer. The Champions League return under Slot could not hide the feeling that Liverpool had stalled. To change that, the new manager needs more than ideas and intensity. He needs bodies.

Endrick turns Liverpool down

One potential answer to Liverpool’s attacking questions has already slipped away.

Endrick, back at Real Madrid after a productive loan spell at Lyon, has reportedly rejected Liverpool’s interest. The 20-year-old intends to stay and fight for his place under Jose Mourinho, despite a daunting queue ahead of him.

His numbers in France were eye-catching: eight goals and eight assists in 21 games. He returned to Madrid hoping to kick on, only to see the club spend heavily on Yan Diomande, a £100million signing expected to compete for that right-sided attacking berth.

With Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe locked in as automatic starters, two of the three attacking roles are effectively sealed. Diomande looks the frontrunner for the remaining slot. Rodrygo is also in the mix once he recovers from injury, and reports suggest Mourinho still counts on him.

It is a crowded room. Yet Endrick, according to ESPN, backs himself to break into it.

From Liverpool’s point of view, the fit was obvious. He could have offered cover for Isak through the middle and doubled as an option on the right. The club still have not replaced Mohamed Salah after his abrupt exit this summer, and the gap on that flank remains the most glaring issue in Iraola’s squad.

Their search has already hit resistance elsewhere. A £50m bid for Brighton winger Yankuba Minteh has been knocked back, with Liverpool expected to return with an improved offer as the deadline creeps closer.

Iraola: “We will definitely sign some players”

If there were any doubts about Liverpool’s intentions in the market, Iraola removed them.

The Spaniard has been blunt about the state of his squad, describing it as “thin” and insisting more arrivals are guaranteed before the window shuts on September 1. The message is clear: this group is not finished.

The club have already moved to patch up the defence, bringing in Ronald Araujo on loan from Barcelona after Joe Gomez suffered an injury in pre-season. Even that hasn’t fully eased concerns. Right-back remains light, with Conor Bradley battling fitness problems, and the midfield has taken a hit with Curtis Jones departing for Inter Milan.

That combination almost forces Liverpool back into the market for a midfielder before the deadline. Iraola, speaking to Sky Sports, did not hide from the scale of the task.

“We will definitely sign some players. Some deals you have to wait until the end,” he said. “But the end is the important picture, the one we will have on September 1, because it is true that we are still quite thin.”

The right flank, though, is where the spotlight burns brightest. Salah’s shadow looms over that side of the pitch, and Liverpool are still working out how to live without him.

Inside the club, there is belief in youth and flexibility. Rio Ngumoha is expected to see more minutes out wide on the right. Victor Munoz can also operate there, even if it is not his preferred side. Those are options, not yet solutions.

So Liverpool head into opening weekend with a new manager, an incomplete squad, and a fanbase waiting for the next announcement. The season starts at Newcastle, but the real verdict on Iraola’s first Liverpool squad may only be possible once the window slams shut.