Andoni Iraola was engaging company when he sat down with the travelling media in Liverpool’s team hotel in Chicago this week.
The Basque coach explained how he feels a duty to prove that he belongs at Anfield after being appointed as Arne Slot’s successor this summer, vowing to rebuild the connection with the club’s supporters which was badly damaged during last season’s struggles. He said he wants to give them a team who “fight until the last line for every situation”.
Some managers relish being the centre of attention but Iraola clearly isn’t one of them. He talked instead about being an “assistant to the players”, with his role to maximise their potential and “create the environment for them to perform better”.
The feedback on his training sessions so far from those involved has been glowing. They’re intense and demanding, but the messaging is clear and foundations are being laid for the campaign ahead.
In the absence of so many senior stars, Dominik Szoboszlai and Milos Kerkez have stepped up, helping to set the standards for the youngsters who have been included on the pre-season tour of the United States.
Yet with the Premier League opener against Newcastle United now just four weeks away, Iraola doesn’t yet have all the tools required to ensure his reign gets off to a flyer.
French defender Jeremy Jacquet, whose £60million summer move from Rennes was agreed in January, and Spanish winger Victor Munoz, who signed from Osasuna for £34million in mid-June, remain the only new arrivals following the departures of Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate as free agents.
Just look at the personnel available for this weekend’s opening U.S. tour match against Sunderland in Nashville. With Wataru Endo, Conor Bradley, Hugo Ekitike and Giovanni Leoni all still doing rehab, the only bone fide first-team outfield players on duty will be Jacquet, Joe Gomez, Kerkez, Szoboszlai, Federico Chiesa, Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, Kostas Tsimikas, Jeremie Frimpong and Rio Ngumoha. Of them, there remains ongoing uncertainty over the futures of Chiesa, Jones and Elliott.
Liverpool train at Endeavor Health Performance Center in Chicago on July 22 (Nikki Dyer/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Yes, there will be an injection of quality before Wednesday’s second game against Wrexham in New Jersey with Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Ryan Gravenberch set to link up with the squad after enjoying a three-and-a-half week break after the World Cup.
But captain Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo and Alisson won’t be reunited with their team-mates until they regroup on Merseyside after the tour, which concludes with a match against Leeds United in Chicago on August 2.
Alexis Mac Allister and Munoz will return even later than that having reached the World Cup final, with Iraola admitting that will have implication in terms of them being ready for the curtain-raiser at St James’ Park.
It’s a delicate balancing act for the head coach in terms of wanting as much time as possible with his players to get his ideas across, but also having to look at the bigger picture and appreciating the importance of rest. It certainly makes sense giving Van Dijk more time off given the demands placed on the 35-year-old centre-back for both club and country over the past 12 months.
The decision regarding Gakpo was on compassionate grounds given the personal heartache he endured during the World Cup, while there would have been little point flying Alisson out to feature in one game, especially given his history of hamstring troubles.
As for the lack of transfers, a sense of perspective is important. The World Cup was always likely to mean that Liverpool did most of their business later in the summer. You also have to factor in how Iraola wanted time to fully assess the talent he already has at his disposal, with his reputation for developing players key to Liverpool pursuing him.
But the growing feeling of post-World Cup angst among the fanbase over the continued lack of incomings is understandable, especially given that squad depth was a concern under Slot last season when injuries started to bite.
“There are obvious situations where we know we need to sign players. Winger, for example. We definitely need to sign a winger,” Iraola told reporters at a press conference in Chicago on Tuesday.
Replacing Salah remains the most urgent priority. Since their pursuit of RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande floundered — with Real Madrid entering talks to sign the 19-year-old — France international Bradley Barcola has been Liverpool’s top target.
However, agreeing a deal is far from straightforward with European champions Paris Saint-Germain, who are under no pressure to sell, valuing him in excess of £100million. Liverpool have also inquired about the availability of Monaco’s Maghnes Akliouche, who would be a cheaper alternative.
Liverpool are interested in Maghnes Akliouche (Clement Mahoudeau/AFP via Getty Images)
Barcola would certainly be a statement signing given his glittering CV, but if it drags on too long, you run the risk of other suitable options being snapped up.
“We have some tricky positions where we have injured players that we trust who are not in the ideal situation,” Iraola said.
The most obvious is at right-back with Conor Bradley expected to be out for a few more months due to the serious knee injury he sustained against Arsenal in January.
It would be a sizeable gamble if Liverpool didn’t strengthen in that area given they would be so reliant on Frimpong until Bradley is back. Calvin Ramsay is another option but he is likely to leave on loan after the tour.
At centre-back, you’ve got Van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Jacquet and Leoni, who is on the comeback trail after recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Their talismanic captain is in the twilight of his career and Gomez’s fitness record is a concern, while Jacquet and Leoni are both highly-regarded but so young and unproven in English football. Ideally, Liverpool need to recruit a versatile defender with a decent level of experience, who could fill in both at right-back and centre-back.
At the top end of the pitch, there’s the Ekitike void to contend with until around Christmas. That will place a big responsibility on the shoulders of Isak to stay fit and belatedly start repaying that £125million fee.
Liverpool were never going to spend a lot of money on another No 9 as cover when they’ve got Ekitike to return from a ruptured Achilles tendon. But if Chiesa does leave, there’s an argument that they need another attacking option, even if they do win the race for Barcola. As things stand, their forward department consists of Ngumoha, Gakpo, Munoz, Isak and Chiesa, with Etitike sidelined.
And then there’s the midfield which was far too regularly out-fought and out-thought last season. Adding more of a combative edge feels like a necessity, even if Jones and Elliott stick around.
Iraola has made a really positive start, but there are glaring gaps in the squad he inherited that have yet to be filled. The clock is ticking.
