There are glaring gaps in Liverpool’s squad. They have plenty of transfer work to do

As the arrival of Ronald Araujo addressed one problem for Andoni Iraola, other glaring issues raised their ugly head in Liverpool’s friendly defeat by Monaco at Anfield.

The Uruguay international flew into the UK on Sunday morning to undergo a medical before completing his season-long loan move from Barcelona.

Capable of playing centre-back or right-back, Araujo will provide some much-needed experienced defensive cover. His presence should help ensure that never again do Liverpool end a game with the makeshift combination of Wataru Endo and Luke Chambers at the heart of their back line.

It was hardly a surprise that Liverpool surrendered a 2-1 half-time lead against Monaco after the double act of captain Virgil van Dijk and impressive teenager Ifeanyi Ndukwe was broken up in the second half.

Ndukwe’s impact during pre-season has been bittersweet. So composed, so commanding, it certainly bodes well for the long term following his arrival from Austria Vienna after a £2.5million ($3.4m) deal was struck in January.

However, with the 18-year-old defender unable to get a work permit to play in England in 2026-27, a year away on loan beckons, with Liverpool weighing up offers from across Europe since his eye-catching performances on the pre-season tour of the United States.

The addition of Araujo to the squad this week should coincide with the return of Jeremy Jacquet to full training. The young French defender has not featured since his £60m move from Rennes due to a minor knee problem, but is expected to be fit for next Sunday’s home double-header with Serie A outfit Como.

With Joe Gomez and Giovanni Leoni still sidelined, either Araujo or Jacquet will be needed to partner Van Dijk in the Premier League opener against Newcastle United at St James’ Park on August 23.

There was the welcome sight of Alisson back between the posts against Monaco before Giorgi Mamardashvili replaced him in the second half. The gulf between Liverpool’s No 1 and his back-up remains sizeable.

In the continued absence of the injured Conor Bradley, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez look destined to fill the full-back roles when the serious action starts. But further forward, there is ongoing uncertainty and understandable levels of concern among the fanbase regarding squad depth.

Most of the first half on Sunday showcased what Iraola wants Liverpool to be. With Florian Wirtz operating ahead of Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai, the hosts were on the front foot and dominant. They pressed high and repeatedly forced the visitors to cough up possession.

Alexander Isak opened the scoring with a clinical finish into the bottom corner after slick interplay between Gravenberch and Szoboszlai. Cody Gakpo looked sharp on his first outing of pre-season and the Dutchman’s header led to Wirtz forcing home the second from close range.

Alexander Isak’s goal against Monaco was an encouraging sign for Liverpool (Darren Staples/AFP via Getty Images)

However, those energy levels were not sustained and Iraola’s Anfield bow fell decidedly flat. There were clear parallels with the friendly against Leeds United in Chicago a week earlier, when a raft of second-half changes led to a drastic decline in standards. Suddenly, Liverpool were far too easy to play through.

Given a lifeline by Aleksandr Golovin’s penalty just before the interval, Monaco equalised through Mika Biereth before substitute Paris Brunner headed home a late winner from a corner — another example of their vulnerability from set pieces.

“We played a good first half, especially a good 30 minutes,” Liverpool head coach Iraola told LFCTV. “Right now we probably don’t have much more, in terms of the levels required to play like this. They were much better in the second half. They deserved to turn around the game.

“We cannot sustain the level we want for all of the game. As soon as we made some changes, players started to get tired. We have work to do. We can take a lot of positives, but also a lot of negatives.”

After Gravenberch, Szoboszlai and Wirtz were taken off, Liverpool finished with a midfield trio of Trey Nyoni, James McConnell and Harvey Elliott. There’s much to sort out regarding that department.

Iraola said Curtis Jones was unavailable after feeling some discomfort in his hip on Saturday, but his absence coincides with Inter’s ongoing pursuit of him. The sooner there’s clarity on that front the better, because selling Jones and not replacing him is unthinkable.

Alexis Mac Allister is due to report back on Monday after enjoying a post-World Cup break. For all the speculation regarding the Argentina international’s future this summer, there have been no offers for him and Iraola has made it clear he expects him to stay put.

Given how frequently Liverpool were outfought and outrun in midfield last season, the fact they have not bought a specialist holding midfielder to ease the burden on Gravenberch is a worry.

And then there is the top end of the pitch, where the long wait to replace Mohamed Salah is ticking dangerously close to the start of the new Premier League season.

We are approaching crunch time in terms of their pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola. Senior club sources have dismissed reports in France that Liverpool tabled a bid of €115m (£99m, $133m) for the France international last week.

With PSG demanding around £145m, they insist that such an offer would have been pointless. Unless PSG are willing to reduce the asking price, Liverpool will have to turn their attention to alternative targets.

As long as he stays fit, Isak will certainly lead the line at St James’ Park, but who will operate either side of him? Academy youngster Lewis Koumas deservedly started ahead of Federico Chiesa on the right against Monaco after his impact on the pre-season tour.

A decision on whether to loan out Koumas, who helped Hull City win promotion to the Premier League last season, is likely to be delayed until late in the window. He is an exciting talent who gives everything for the cause, but decision-making lets him down at times and he is not ready to be a regular starter in the top flight.

New signing Victor Munoz showed flashes of his pace and trickery down the left after being brought on for the final half-hour. Rio Ngumoha came on at the same time down the right but added more weight to the argument that he’s much more comfortable cutting in off the other flank.

If Tottenham Hotspur do not make Liverpool an offer they cannot refuse for Gakpo, they will have him, Ngumoha and Munoz all desperate to start on the left at Newcastle. The choice on the right is currently Chiesa or Koumas and that is not sufficient.

Balance is required with the acquisition of a naturally right-sided attacker, with PSG teenage winger Ibrahim Mbaye among the options under consideration.

“It was lovely, especially in the first half when we were pushing and everything was going so well,” Iraola said about the first Anfield game of his tenure.

“The second half was harsh because when they (the fans) were expecting… and you cannot give them what they wanted. It is frustrating.”

There is considerable work to be done both on and off the pitch at Liverpool with the new campaign less than a fortnight away.