Liverpool Nearing Barcola Signing as Iraola Revamps Attack

Liverpool step back into the Premier League spotlight this weekend with the sense that something is shifting behind the scenes as much as on the pitch.

Andoni Iraola is still searching for his first league win as Liverpool manager after last Sunday’s stuttering 2-2 draw at Newcastle United, a performance that raised as many questions as it answered. Now, as Nottingham Forest arrive at Anfield for the first home game of the season, the Spaniard is on the verge of adding a serious new attacking option.

Barcola deal moves towards the finish line

Liverpool have agreed a deal worth £120 million with Paris Saint-Germain for Bradley Barcola, a fee that would make the French winger the second-most expensive signing in the club’s history, behind only Alexander Isak’s £125m move.

The broad agreement between the clubs was reached on Thursday, with only the finer details still to be ironed out. Officially, Barcola remains a PSG player, but his status has effectively been decided: he is being moved to the sidelines as the transfer edges closer.

The 21-year-old has not played a minute this season. He was only a substitute for PSG’s UEFA Super Cup win over Aston Villa and has been left out entirely in Ligue 1, missing the games against Lens, Rennes and now Lille. For the trip to Lille on Friday, he was again absent from the matchday squad, a clear signal from PSG as negotiations progress.

Barcola’s numbers last season explain why Liverpool are prepared to push so hard. Across 49 games in all competitions, he scored 13 goals and delivered seven assists, contributing regularly in a side that claimed back-to-back Champions League titles. He did that while fighting for minutes against high-profile competition in Kvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue, a battle that often left him rotating in and out of the starting XI.

Liverpool see something more permanent. Iraola, tasked with reshaping an attack that has lost rhythm and edge, could soon have a direct, goal-hungry wide player to bolt onto his pressing, front-foot blueprint.

For now, Barcola waits. PSG have made their stance clear by keeping him out of the firing line. Liverpool have made theirs with the size of the offer. The final signatures are all that stand between Iraola and his next big weapon.

Wirtz handed the keys as No. 10

While the Barcola deal moves towards completion, one of Liverpool’s existing stars is already adjusting to a new reality under Iraola.

Florian Wirtz spent last season under Arne Slot drifting between roles, sometimes as an attacking midfielder, sometimes starting from the left. He never quite settled, never fully owned a position.

That uncertainty has gone. Iraola made it clear in pre-season that he views the German as his No. 10, the creative hub around which his aggressive, high-tempo style will revolve.

Speaking to Sky Germany, the 23-year-old outlined how sharply defined his instructions now feel and offered a glimpse into Iraola’s demands.

“He (Iraola) just wants to play power football going forward. Lots of pressing. The tasks you have are actually relatively clear,” Wirtz said.

The emphasis is on collective cohesion as much as individual clarity.

“Of course, we now have to work on making it work as a team. So not only that everyone does their job well, but that it also harmonizes together. But he definitely makes a very good impression on me.

“I think that he reaches a lot of players with it and that we as a team also understand what he wants from us. I think it's definitely a good start, that the players believe in it, and I hope that it will be successful.”

The message is unmistakable: high energy, high pressing, and a clear creative axis through Wirtz.

If Barcola walks through the door in the coming days, Iraola will have a powerful new runner to play off his No. 10 and a marquee signing to jolt Liverpool’s attack into life. With Forest coming to Anfield and the season still in its infancy, the question is no longer whether Liverpool are changing — it’s how quickly this new, hard-running version can start to win.