Liverpool's Gamble on Iraola Begins New Era

Liverpool strode into last season as back-to-back Premier League champions, chasing a third crown in four years and the kind of domestic dominance the club has long craved. They ended it 25 points behind Arsenal, stripped of their title, their manager and much of their aura.

Arne Slot paid the price. The Dutchman was sacked after a limp defence of the trophy, despite heavy spending the previous summer and the safety net of Champions League qualification. The numbers on the league table were brutal. So was the verdict in the boardroom.

Now comes the gamble.

Iraola steps into the glare

Liverpool have turned to Andoni Iraola, a coach admired for his intensity and pressing ideals, but untested at a club of this size and scrutiny. His appointment is bold. It is also fraught with risk.

Iraola arrives without the comfort of a gentle reset. The squad is in transition, the expectations unchanged. Liverpool supporters do not tolerate the language of “projects” when the club has just come off a title-winning cycle.

The summer has reflected that tension: part rebuild, part reluctant farewell.

Transfers: new blood, big exits

Liverpool’s incoming business has been targeted rather than scattergun.

• IN: Jeremy Jacquet (Rennes, £60m), Victor Munoz (Osasuna, £34.5m), Samuel Martinez (Atletico Nacional, undisclosed), Ronald Araujo (Barcelona, loan).
• OUT: Andy Robertson (Tottenham Hotspur, free), Ibrahima Konate (Real Madrid, free), Mohamed Salah (released), Rhys Williams (released), Carter Pinnington (West Bromwich Albion, undisclosed), Kareem Ahmed (released), Emmanuel Airoboma (released), James Balagizi (released), DJ Bernard (released), Oakley Cannonier (released), Josh Davidson (released), Terence Miles (released), Jacob Poytress (released), Luca Stephenson (Bolton Wanderers, undisclosed), Armin Pecsi (TSV Hartberg, loan), Amara Nallo (HJK Helsinki, loan).

(Information correct on August 17).

The headline is unavoidable: Mohamed Salah is gone. What should have been a farewell befitting a club legend was clouded by an unwanted sideshow last season. His form, his future, his mood – all became a running subplot as Liverpool stumbled through their title defence. By the end, his departure felt less like a shock and more like a necessity.

Robertson and Konate leaving for nothing underlines how quickly a core can dissolve. Jacquet and Munoz are sizeable bets on the next cycle, while Araujo’s loan from Barcelona hints at short-term patchwork in defence rather than a full structural fix.

A bruising title defence

Seventeen wins from 38 league games. For a squad built at huge expense, that return bordered on humiliating.

Liverpool did just enough to cling onto a Champions League spot, but the season never truly caught fire. Performances lacked the relentless edge that had defined their title-winning years. Too often, games drifted. Too often, the opposition sensed vulnerability.

The money spent the previous summer did not translate into authority on the pitch. Instead, Liverpool lurched between systems and solutions, never quite settling, never quite convincing. That instability has handed Iraola both a platform and a problem: he inherits talent, but also confusion.

Van Dijk and the defensive dilemma

At the heart of that confusion stands Virgil van Dijk. Once the immovable pillar of Liverpool’s defence, the Dutchman has shown clear signs of decline over the past couple of seasons.

The club still committed heavily to keep him. Emotionally, it made sense. Financially and tactically, the decision is more complex.

At 35, the chances of Van Dijk rediscovering his absolute peak are slim. His presence remains imposing, his reading of the game still sharp in flashes, but the margin for error in a high defensive line is tiny. If Iraola wants to press high and defend aggressively, he must build a structure that protects Van Dijk’s legs without wasting his leadership.

That is no simple equation. Get it wrong, and Liverpool’s title hopes could be undermined before winter.

There are still glimpses of what he can offer. Van Dijk helped Liverpool to a clean sheet in a 2-0 friendly win over Como yesterday, a reminder that he is far from finished. The question is not whether he can still play. It is whether he can still anchor a side with championship ambitions.

Pre-season teething pains

Pre-season has been uneven. Some performances have hinted at a sharper, more aggressive Liverpool. Others have looked like a team caught between old habits and new demands.

Iraola, though, has not flinched.

“We need every player, every time, every minute, every action – and that's the commitment,” he said. “I'm very happy with the attitude of the players.

“They are training really well. I am asking them to do things that are a little bit different – especially without the ball – and I think they are trying to get it.

“Obviously, we are still not perfect. We have things to improve, but I'm very happy with their attitude and their willingness to be on the same page. We will get there.”

The message is clear: intensity first, excuses nowhere.

Ceiling and floor for 2026/27

Iraola’s conviction is refreshing, but the squad still feels thin in certain areas for a club aiming to wrestle the title back from Arsenal and hold off the rest of the chasing pack.

Quality? Yes. Depth? Less convincing.

If Liverpool avoid major injuries, a top-four finish is firmly within reach. The Champions League places remain a realistic objective, and on their best days this side can still unsettle anyone.

But this is a club that measures itself in titles, not targets. As the new season looms, the question hangs over Anfield: is this the start of another surge to the summit, or just another year of waiting for the next great Liverpool team to finally emerge?