Andoni Iraola hints at massive Bradley Barcola boost for Liverpool ahead of Ipswich clash
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Andoni Iraola has hinted at when Bradley Barcola could make his debut for Liverpool after his big-money arrival from Paris Saint-Germain earlier this week.The French winger has joined the Reds for an initial £106m, with that figure potentially rising to £123m if all add-ons are triggered (The Athletic), and Kevin Nolan has already backed him to be a ‘huge success’ at Anfield.The 24-year-old hadn’t played in any of PSG’s matches in the early weeks of the season prior to his transfer to Merseyside, with his last on-field involvement coming in the World Cup third place play-off in mid-July.Iraola hints at potential Barcola debut against IpswichDespite Barcola lacking match sharpness at the moment, Iraola has hinted that the new Liverpool arrival could potentially feature in the Premier League clash away to Ipswich on Friday night.Speaking about the winger in his pre-match press conference this morning, the Reds’ head coach said (via Liverpool Echo): “He is playing well for us and if everything goes well in training today, he will definitely be available for us tomorrow.”The Basque added: “I see him in a good place. He has trained for us.
It’s true he hasn’t had minutes in pre-season. He has been training and it’s a decision we have to make, but we have to consider that he hasn’t had minutes in pre-season games.”(Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)Want more Empire of the Kop coverage?
Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trustBarcola could have a soft launch to his Liverpool careerLiverpool fans will no doubt be massively excited to see Barcola in action for the first time as a Reds player, although his lack of game-time over the past few weeks might necessitate a soft launch to his Anfield career.It wouldn’t surprise us if our new number 29 was listed among the substitutes for the game against Ipswich, especially when Iraola has such an abundance of choice in the wide attacking positions.We may well see Victor Munoz and Cody Gakpo – both of whom have already scored this season – retain their places on Friday night, and there’s also a possibility that Rio Ngumoha comes in to start.If Liverpool need a goal in the final 20 minutes at Portman Road and Barcola is on the bench, the head coach might turn to the new signing in that scenario to see if he can make a decisive impact on what’d be his debut for the Reds.When the team news is confirmed at 6:45pm tomorrow evening, all eyes will be on whether the Frenchman’s name is mentioned, and whether it’s among the starters or substitutes.