Liverpool

Aadam Patel
Liverpool reporter

Image source, Getty Images

When BBC Sport spoke to Liverpool CEO Billy Hogan in New York, the message was very much that FSG will continue to invest when it comes to doing what is best to put the team in a place to win.

With Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister, Liverpool have solid options in midfield.

Szoboszlai and Gravenberch signed new contracts this year while Andoni Iraola will be hoping to get the most out of Mac Allister, who was nowhere near his best last season.

One department where at least one more signing is guaranteed is up front, with PSG'S Bradley Barcola now Liverpool's primary target after they missed out on Yan Diomande. Liverpool have already signed Victor Munoz from Osasuna for £34m.

It would be unfair to tag Barcola as the direct replacement for Mohamed Salah but with PSG valuing him at £145m, it would be a statement signing.

Liverpool are more willing to do a deal at about £100m, with Barcola open to a move to Anfield.

In June, BBC Sport reported that Tottenham were among a number of clubs monitoring Cody Gakpo's situation but such a move would only take place if Liverpool have a replacement and given he has four years left on his contract, the Netherlands international would not come cheap.

Liverpool still view him as a proven attacker in the Premier League who can function in different ways and with Hugo Ekitike unlikely to feature this year because of a ruptured Achilles tendon, letting Gakpo go would be a big call.

Mike Gordon, the FSG president and essentially the managing owner of Liverpool, was in Chicago on Sunday.

Like everyone else associated with the club, he would have seen the excitement for the Iraola era in full flow in the first half against Leeds before the realisation after the break this squad is in need of more incomings.

Read more on Liverpool's summer here

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We asked for your views on how you see Liverpool's winger situation this season and whether you think Andoni Iraola's side needs to sign a right-sided specialist?

Here are some of your comments:

Nick: Liverpool need to sign a specialist. The tour is done and Andoni Iraola has now reviewed the squad, so I'd expect there to be player movement. Liverpool need a top class winger on the right. OK, they arguably don't have one on the left, but the right side is a need. Bournemouth's Rayan is the best and most obvious option.

Bolderdash: Without a doubt, we need a new right-winger to replace Salah. I don't believe we have anyone who could take Salah's spot and deliver anything like Salah did in the past. It's not finding someone who can do what Salah did as I don't believe that player exists, but it's finding someone as close as possible to provide those goals and assists going forward and who could be around for the next four or five years at least.

Alan: Yes, we need a right-sided attacker or winger to replace Salah. However, we are in far, far greater need of a ready-to-go pacey centre-half to help Virgil van Dijk. Please sort out the defence. No side has ever won a league title with a poor defence.

Tim: In Harvey Elliott and Rio Ngumoah, Liverpool have two excellent wingers capable of interchanging from one side to another. With Alexander Isak reaching peak fitness and Florian Wirtz operating as a number 10, l have no fear that the team will score goals this season. What is more disturbing is the team's vulnerability at centre-half. With only Virgil van Djik an experienced certainty. Perhaps Liverpool should consider playing Ryan Gravenberch in central defence.

Finn: I am absolutely shocked by the lack of business done by Liverpool. I am appalled by Richard Hughes. There has been more transfer chat about him leaving next year than anything else, and it comes across as so unprofessional that he might leave Liverpool having had his final transfer window be such a failure. Obviously, we need a right-wing specialist who can also operate across the front three. A centre-back is glaringly obvious too.

Nigel: We need squad depth, which means we might have to take a step back to go forwards. I think Curtis Jones needs to go. The drop-off last night from the first half to the second was alarming. Cody Gakpo can also be sold to generate some funds along with the likes of Lewis Koumas. We need help in central midfield and out wide.

There is only 23 days to go until Andoni Iraola starts his Premier League reign at Liverpool with an away fixture against Newcastle.

However, as pre-season ticks along, Reds fans will be curious about how he will adapt his Liverpool side without Mohamed Salah.

Speaking before Liverpool's 4-2 defeat to Leeds United in Chicago, Iraola said: "First our wingers, normally I'm used to trying to encourage them to have the ability to play both sides."

During Iroala's tenure at Bournemouth, he often interchanged wingers to play on both sides, something which proved difficult for opponent's defence.

"I know some of them are more comfortable on one side, but our team is not normally symmetrical. So sometimes one of the wingers have to do more defensive work, sometimes one has to play more higher," added Iraola.

How do you see Liverpool's winger situation this season? Do they need to sign a right-sided specialist or are you comfortable if the club use right-footed players on the right - a move away from how Salah filled the role.

Get in touch with your views here

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Liverpool concluded their three-match pre-season tour of the USA with an eventful 4-2 defeat by Leeds in Chicago.

The Reds dominated the first-half, with Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz impressing on their respective returns from their post-World Cup holidays.

Defender Luke Chambers - who spent last season on loan at Charlton - put Andoni Iraola's side in front, before Wirtz doubled the scoring by finishing off a fine team move.

However, Leeds rallied after the break with the introductions of senior figures Harry Wilson, Sean Longstaff, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Brenden Aaronson proving the catalyst.

Daniel Farke's side blew Liverpool away with four goals inside 25 minutes. The first came from Aaronson on the hour mark, with Calvert-Lewin equalising 10 minutes later.

Minutes later, Longstaff completed the turnaround by finishing from a fine Aaronson cut-back before some gloss was added to the scoreline late on with a powerful Calvert-Lewin header.

Reflecting on the defeat, Iraola said: "I think we learn a lot of things. Obviously it's not the result you want but I think [it was] probably the most useful friendly we played – in a positive way in the first half and in a negative way in the second half."

On the returning Isak, Wirtz and Ryan Gravenberch he added: "I think they did really good. They played their first 45 minutes. Obviously Florian and Alex, because they were playing in the first half, they had an easier game or a better game. Ryan, it was costly for him."

Iraola also played down any fears of an injury to Jeremie Frimpong: "Jeremie asked for the sub but I don't think it's an injury. It was just some overload and I hope he's not injured in that way. I don't think we've lost anyone."

On the flight home from Chicago, as he reflects on the 4-2 loss to Leeds that ended Liverpool's United States tour, manager Andoni Iraola will have plenty to think about.

The first-half display was arguably the best since he took charge of Liverpool, but the second was categorically their worst as they conceded four times without reply inside 25 minutes.

Iraola did make a raft of changes at the break and in the second half but that is no excuse for the way they capitulated against Daniel Farke's side.

Their lack of squad depth and physicality was alarmingly exposed and Iraola will be concerned with the ease with which Leeds scored, albeit against an inexperienced backline that finished with Calvin Ramsay, Ifeanyi Ndukwe, Mor Talla Ndiaye and Kostas Tsimikas.

With Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz making their return, Liverpool were excellent in the first half and it is important not to be too critical but perhaps Iraola will be glad in the long-run that he saw this second-half display, where Liverpool's set-piece deficiencies were highlighted too.

The intensity Iraola demands on the training pitch was evident in the first half but seemed non-existent after the break. Senior figures like Curtis Jones and Federico Chiesa did not cover themselves in glory.

"I particularly hate this month of August because you start the competitions and you still don't know if some of the players are going to leave and who's going to come - there is a lot of uncertainty," said Iraola, earlier in the week.

Iraola will meet Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, Alisson Becker and new signing Victor Munoz over the coming days at the AXA Training Centre.

By then, the only first-team player he will have yet to meet will be Alexis Mac Allister, who has been granted extra time off following Argentina's run to the World Cup final. Munoz, who did not play a minute in Spain's successful World Cup campaign, will return earlier to aid his integration into the squad.

Read more from Aadam

Tottenham have held positive talks with Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo, but the Reds have no intention of selling the Dutchman. (Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

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Aadam Patel
Liverpool reporter

Image source, LIVERPOOL FC

Former Liverpool captain and caretaker manager Phil Thompson has revealed that he has spoken to Andoni Iraola about his new role at the club, with the Spaniard meeting a number of club legends on their pre-season tour of the USA.

"I am excited," Thompson told BBC Sport in Chicago. "It is different. When a new manager comes in, you want the new manager bounce. We saw it with Arne Slot when he first came in, it surprised everybody when we won the league.

"I was with the new manager [Iraola] last night. Robbie Fowler and I had a beer and a chat with him, it was lovely.

"We spoke about his family and his children, and how quickly they had picked up English from not speaking it three years ago. He was just so pleasant, chatting away, talking about what he is looking to get out of pre-season and so on.

"Everyone wants to win games, but I've been there as a coach in pre-season. Your big thing is fitness and trying to get through it all without injuries.

"We spoke about how upset he was that Joe [Gomez] got injured in the first game, and his hopes and aspirations for the season ahead. You want to win games because, in the end, that's what it is all about."

Thompson is currently in Chicago, alongside Fowler, Ian Rush and Natasha Dowie, as the club's official ambassadors.

Aadam Patel
Liverpool reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Inter Milan are still interested in Curtis Jones and have indicated through intermediaries they would be willing to pay up to 35m euros (£29.9m) for the Liverpool midfielder.

The Italian side made a verbal offer of 25m euros (£21.7m) last month and that was rejected, with Liverpool valuing Jones at at least £35m.

Andoni Iraola's side are unwilling to sanction a cut-price exit for the 25-year-old, who only has one year left on his contract, but their resolve will be tested with Inter keen on bringing Jones to Milan.

Jones was involved in a heated argument with Dominik Szoboszlai after Liverpool's 1-0 win in a friendly over Wrexham in New York, which seemed to be related to the fact that Szoboszlai handed the captain's armband to Kostas Tsimikas instead of Jones.

But the pair were in good spirits during Liverpool's open training session in Chicago on Friday.

Jeremy Jacquet, who Liverpool signed from Rennes in a deal worth £60m, was absent from the session and was instead in the gym, as he recovers from a shoulder injury sustained in February.

Earlier on the tour, Iraola had suggested that 21-year-old Jacquet would be fit to play against Leeds United on Sunday, in their last match before flying home, but that now looks unlikely.

In more positive news for Liverpool, Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Ryan Gravenberch all trained, having joined up with the squad earlier in the week and the trio are set to feature on Sunday.

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Former Liverpool forward Robbie Fowler says Alexander Isak has "got everything in the locker" to have an emphatic 2026-27 campaign for the Reds.

"He's exciting, and in terms of when he drives with the ball, you know, something can happen.

"Not only can he beat players, bring players into the game, but he scores goals which is massive," Fowler told BBC Sport.

The Premier League's most expensive player of all time scored just four goals and did not feature across four months of the campaign last season.

Although Isak's match fitness and injuries impacted his debut season at Anfield, Fowler said the Sweden international will aim to return to club football "fit and firing".

"Hopefully, this is the season where he kicks on. Obviously, the injury didn't help him last year because he obviously got injured at probably the wrong time for him," he said.

"He's done OK in the World Cup. But I want him to be ready at the start of the season as opposed to waiting months and months."

Fowler added it is "imperative" for a club like Liverpool to have a player "who excites the fans".

Over the years, Anfield has seen its fair share of legendary number nines excite the suppporters, from Ian Rush, Fernando Torres and, of course, Fowler.

Maybe the 2026-27 campaign will be the season where Isak begins his journey of becoming one of the legendary number nines that Anfield has seen.

Aadam Patel
Liverpool reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones had a heated argument with team-mate Dominik Szoboszlai after his side's 1-0 win over Wrexham at Yankee Stadium on Thursday.

After the full-time whistle, Jones, Szoboszlai and later Kostas Tsimikas argued with one another as the team were walking across the pitch to applaud supporters.

It is unclear what caused the exchange, although during the match Szoboszlai gave his captain's armband to Tsimikas rather than Jones when he was subbed off - and during the argument Tsimikas was filmed throwing the armband on to the floor.

Asked about the incident by BBC Sport, Szoboszlai did not go into the details but said: "Now that a couple of guys have left and maybe we are not the oldest in the team but we've been here a long time, we are all in the same boat and we want the best for the club and for each other.

"We have a captain in Virgil [van Dijk] and we will follow him everywhere with what he and the gaffer says, and I think I can talk from everybody's side that we want to be successful this season.

"It's a long-term [project] because obviously we have a new manager and the team has been changed. Maybe not in a couple of months but in the long term, I think it will work out."

Sources at Liverpool maintain arguments such as these - the context of which remains unknown - are common in an elite environment and that it only happened in public, rather than in the privacy of the dressing room, because the squad were doing a lap of honour.

Image source, Getty Images

The LFC Poets' podcast's Ben Kent says 19-year-old midfielder Trey Nyoni is "ready" to become a "proper squad player" going into the new Premier League campaign.

Nyoni played the first half as the Reds beat Wrexham 1-0 in New York in their latest pre-season friendly on Thursday.

New boss Andoni Iraola praised him post-match, saying: "Trey is very good on the ball - very calm, he reads the situations well. He is always confident on the ball so we encourage him.

"Even when he has one opponent quite close, he asks for that ball and he's confident, he doesn't rush. For me, that is very valuable."

Nyoni made six appearances in the Premier League last season, all as a substitute.

"The outstanding one has been Nyoni," Kent told BBC Radio Merseyside.

"Last season I wanted him to get more minutes than he did, he only got token minutes here and there.

"I think he's ready. Maybe not to start games all the time, but he's ready to be a proper squad player now."

Listen to the full chat by pressing play below or on BBC Sounds here

Tom McCoy
BBC Sport journalist

Liverpool are preparing an offer for Paris St-Germain winger Bradley Barcola, but with the French club reportedly valuing him at £145m, would he represent good value for money?

The Merseysiders would be reluctant to pay a British record fee for a player who scored only 13 goals last season. However, the 23-year-old possesses a combination of attributes that would appeal to any club looking for an elite goalscoring wide player.

Barcola's best season to date came in 2024-25, when he scored or assisted 39 goals, the ninth-highest total by any player in Europe's top five leagues. While that figure fell to 21 last season, many of his underlying metrics remained impressive

Used primarily on the left flank, Barcola utilised his dribbling ability and pace to create shooting opportunities for himself. He was the only player in Europe's top five leagues to average more than two shot-ending carries per 90 minutes, defined as shots taken after carrying the ball for at least five metres.

He also ranked highly for receiving the ball in dangerous areas, averaging nearly nine touches in the opposition box per 90 minutes. That placed him seventh among more than 1,500 eligible players, on a list headed by Barcelona star Lamine Yamal.

Barcola was also 18th for expected goals, excluding penalties, an encouraging sign given that many of the players above him were recognised centre-forwards. He also ranked ninth for possession won in the final third - an important consideration with aggressive pressing central to Liverpool's approach under new head coach Andoni Iraola.

PSG's dominance in France means those numbers require context and would not necessarily be repeatable in the Premier League. Overpaying for Barcola could also make it harder for the Reds to strengthen other areas of need, such as centre-back.

But if the two-time Champions League winners can be persuaded to lower their eye-watering asking price, Barcola could prove a good fit for Iraola's side.

Aadam Patel
Liverpool reporter

Image source, Getty Images

The possibility of Bradley Barcola becoming a Liverpool player is a genuine one, with the Reds set to make a bid for the PSG winger.

Liverpool are long-standing admirers of the France international and engaged in discussions last summer about his availability but eventually decided they didn't want to block the pathway of Rio Ngumoha.

With Mohamed Salah gone, the situation has changed. At half-time against Wrexham in New York, Ngumoha came on and played down the right - another indication that he will be used on both flanks this season. The 17-year-old was fortunate with the deflection for his goal but his directness makes life tough for defenders.

"All the coaching staff are just telling me to play my normal game really, whether that's going inside or outside. I've been working on it in training anyway, playing on the right and the left - just being unpredictable really," said Ngumoha.

He is a special talent while Victor Munoz, who Liverpool signed from Osasuna for £34m, is another one with plenty of potential. However, without Salah, Liverpool need high quality from the outset and Barcola could immediately provide that.

The 23-year-old is a proven winner at PSG, where he has made 152 appearances, scoring 39 goals and providing 37 assists. It would be quite the signing for Andoni Iraola if Liverpool can pull it off.

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New Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola says he sees Florian Wirtz in the "position behind the striker" going forward.

Wirtz started on the left throughout Germany's World Cup campaign, where they were knocked out in the last 32, and predominantly during their qualification campaign.

The 23-year-old played in various positions across the attacking line during his first season at Liverpool, in which he scored seven goals and registered 10 assists in 49 appearances.

"We need a very good version of Florian," said Iraola. "We know what he can give us. I think he's also suited to our game model.

"I see him more probably in that position behind the striker. We know that he has played with Germany more on the left sometimes. But, I think we're going to start working with him in that position behind the striker."

Wirtz's first season in England was chaotic at times as Liverpool struggled to build on Arne Slot's title-winning debut campaign, finishing fifth and eventually parting company with the Dutchman.

However, Iraola believes the former Bayer Leverkusen playmaker - who joined the pre-season tour in the United States on Monday following his World Cup exploits - is ready to hit the ground running as he begins his second campaign in England.

"He's quite complete as a player," Iraola added.

"I think we are going to try to add more things to what he already has that is very good.

"I've seen him [in the] first days of training in a good place mentally and I hope he starts well and strong."

Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola has been speaking to media in Chicago in his latest media conference during the Reds' pre-season tour of the USA.

A 4-2 win over Sunderland in Nashville last week was followed by a 1-0 victory over Wrexham in New York in the early hours of Thursday.

Liverpool face Leeds United in Chicago on Sunday (21:00 BST kick-off) before concluding their pre-season back on Merseyside.

Here are the key lines from the Reds head coach:

• Iraola clarified where he sees Floran Wirtz's best position: "We know what he can give us. I think he's also suited to our game model. I see him more probably in that position behind the striker. We know that he has played with Germany more on the left sometimes, but I think we're going to start working with him in that position behind the striker. He's quite complete as a player."

• He was asked about Rio Ngumoha playing on the right side against Wrexham and his thinking behind it: "I normally used to try to encourage our wingers to have the ability to play both sides. I know some of them are more comfortable on one side, but our team is not normally symmetrical. Also, in pre-season, I have to see where they are more comfortable, but in my previous clubs most of the wingers have played both sides."

• Asked whether any incoming wingers - with Liverpool preparing to make an offer for Paris St-Germain and France forward Bradley Barcola - would need to play on both wings, Iraola said: "Yes, it's a great skill to have because at the end you become less predictable. It becomes better for you to have more minutes - and also better for us because we can better use the squad."

• On how important will Alexander Isak will be this season: "He has come in a good place. I think he was good in the World Cup - I saw him comfortable. First training is here and I think I've seen a good version of Alex. His pre-season is not going to be very long, but he will have three or four weeks of quality training, I hope, and then we can put him in a good place because he's going to be massive for us this season."

• On whether the World Cup will delay supporters being able to see the team Iraola wants: "Probably, but not because I am going to meet the players late, or we are going to sign the players later. Even having my team ready for pre-season when there is a change of manager, these things take some time. I would like to say on the first day we are going to be perfect, that we're going to be in place, but probably it's not going to be like this. We will have to do the adaptation as quickly as possible."

• On the pre-season tour: "I was really happy when I found out we were coming again to Chicago. I was here last pre-season with Bournemouth. I understand now the repercussion of Liverpool is not the same as when I came last season, but still it's been really nice. I hope we can finish it in a proper way also against Leeds. I think we can finish these two weeks properly."

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Aadam Patel
Liverpool reporter

Image source, Getty Images

It is still remarkable to think now that Liverpool were on the verge of administration when Fenway Sports Group took over in 2010.

It hasn't all been plain sailing. As recently as this year, CEO Billy Hogan wrote to fans over ticket price increases. The club cut the size of their planned rise in ticket prices for the next couple of seasons after supporter protests.

However, under FSG's stewardship, Anfield has been transformed, with two of the four stands developed in the past decade.

"Back when FSG acquired LFC, a number of similarities were drawn with Boston Red Sox and Liverpool, and one of them was this idea of an iconic venue that truly sits in the community," said Hogan.

"One of the things we're focused on now is making improvements in the footprint around Anfield the neighbourhood, whether that's infrastructure or transport and getting people in on non-matchdays. We're proud of how we've expanded while keeping the soul but also modernising it in the way that's befitting of the football club.

"Football doesn't give you much time to sit back and reflect. What I would say I am most proud of is that the club is in such a positive and good financial position. If you go back to that point in 2010, the club was literally on the brink of bankruptcy. Now it has the right foundations underneath it.

"There's improvements across the infrastructure, the ability to stay at Anfield for the long term and the stuff that doesn't always get headlines but is super important for the health of the club.

"Ultimately, it's about winning trophies. I wish we could win more but we've been fortunate to win a few.

"I think our supporters have had a great time and I often think about the fan parks at the Champions League finals - we lost a couple but just that joy and the memories and, frankly, the fun of it is what I look back on from time to time. And it's something that everyone associated with Liverpool should be proud of because it happens together and we all want this club to be the best in the world."

Read more from Reds CEO Billy Hogan

Manchester City are in advanced talks with Lille for 18-year-old Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, who has also attracted interest from Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Bayern Munich. (Talksport), external

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