Andoni Iraola: Bradley Barcola Will Learn to Deal With £123m Price Tag Pressure
Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola says £123m signing Bradley Barcola must learn to cope with the pressure of his big-money move from Paris Saint-Germain after the Frenchman announced himself with a Champions League hat-trick against LASK.
Barcola must cope with pressure of big-money move, says Liverpool boss Iraola...
Bradley Barcola will have to cope with the scrutiny that comes with a huge price tag, Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola said after the Frenchman opened his account for the Reds with a Champions League hat-trick against LASK.
Barcola had made an underwhelming start to his Liverpool career following a reported £123m move from Paris Saint-Germain, but exploded into life against the Austrian champions in a 6-3 win for Iraola's side on Wednesday.
“Football is like this. You win a game, you are incredible; you have a bad performance, you are a disaster,” said Iraola at his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday's trip to Brentford.
“It is going to be like this for Bradley, for everyone who works in football. We have to assume this.”
Barcola's adaptation to a new league and teammates has not been helped by injury troubles forcing Iraola into constant changes.
Stop that, Bradley Barcola 🫠 #UCL https://t.co/lRMwK6jtF1
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) October 15, 2026
Cody Gakpo, Alexander Isak and Dominik Szoboszlai have all missed the last two matches with injuries picked up on international duty. All three are doubtful for Saturday's trip to Brentford.
“Now it is a matter of finding the best condition and best connection with teammates, the level of understanding, the work of everyone, when to attack the spaces,” Iraola added on Barcola's adaptation.
“The more he plays with us, the more he plays with his teammates, the better he will become.”
Iraola also revealed that centre-back Giovanni Leoni's return from a long-term knee injury has been further delayed.
un, deux, trois... ✨ https://t.co/kPtqulwhPu
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) October 14, 2026
The Italian suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury on his debut for the club in September last year.
“Talking to the medical department, it wasn't just an ACL. It was a bad injury; a lot of things around the knee were involved apart from the ACL,” said Iraola.
“The plan now is that he starts in the next (international) break. It's not that far off, but a little bit later than we expected.”
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