Liverpool’s net spend this summer was actually higher than last year’s, with more than £200million invested in the squad. Yet despite landing Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain for £123million, Andoni Iraola ends the transfer window with more questions than answers about the shape of his squad. Short in the full-back areas and arguably still light in central midfield, Liverpool’s business raises as many structural concerns as it resolves.
A Bigger Spend, But Still an Unbalanced Squad
Even a marquee signing of Barcola’s calibre has not fully addressed Liverpool’s underlying issues. Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher summed up the concern succinctly, suggesting the squad simply does not look balanced given the gaps at full-back and in central midfield. It is a view that captures the central tension of Liverpool’s window: heavy investment in some areas, with clear gaps left in others.
The Mohamed Salah Problem: Has Barcola Left Liverpool Lopsided?
Liverpool’s attacking balance took a significant hit with the departure of Mohamed Salah, arguably the best left-footed right-winger in Premier League history. Rather than replacing that specific profile, Liverpool have effectively doubled up on the opposite wing, leaving a gap on the right that remains unresolved. Carragher was direct about the issue, noting Liverpool no longer have a genuine out-and-out right-sided attacker or a left-footed option to mirror what Salah offered, and admitted he remains unsure how that flank will be resolved this season.
Barcola himself is a versatile player, but a fee of that size arguably demands he plays in his strongest position and that position is not on the right. Cody Gakpo has occupied the left flank so far this season, a role previously filled at times by both Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike. Rio Ngumoha enjoyed a breakthrough campaign playing on the left last season but has been used on the opposite side in pre-season, while summer signing Victor Munoz arrives with just one top-flight season under his belt also as a left winger. None of this alone condemns Liverpool’s recruitment strategy, but it does add to a broader sense of a squad heavily stocked in some areas while leaving obvious gaps in others.
Right-Back Crisis: Frimpong Filling a Role He Wasn’t Signed For
When Jeremie Frimpong signed for Liverpool last summer, the club was clear that he was not intended as a direct replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back. Yet with Conor Bradley injured, that is precisely the role Frimpong has been asked to fill in Liverpool’s opening two matches of the season, making him the closest thing to a fit specialist option in the position. Some have floated Dominik Szoboszlai as an alternative, though that would represent a compromise, while shifting a centre-back into the role runs against the importance Iraola places on genuine full-back specialists within his system.
That importance is reflected in the underlying data Frimpong and left-back Milos Kerkez both rank among the Premier League’s top three players for sprints so far this season, behind only Adrien Truffert of Iraola’s former club Bournemouth. It underlines just how central high-energy, attacking full-back play is to the way Iraola wants Liverpool to operate.
Iraola’s High-Line System and the Midfield Concern
Comparing Liverpool’s average player positions in their opening two matches this season with those from Arne Slot’s title-winning campaign shows a clear shift the full-backs are pushing on simultaneously and far higher up the pitch, placing greater responsibility on the midfield to provide cover behind them. Ryan Gravenberch stepped up to help fill that role during Slot’s title win, but with Alexis Mac Allister’s physical output appearing to have declined over the past 18 months, it remains unclear whether Iraola currently has the personnel to protect against counter-attacks in the same way.
There is also a broader question over whether Iraola intends to use a genuine holding midfielder at all. At Bournemouth, his teams were built around aggressively engaging opponents high up the pitch, with his former players there previously describing a clear belief in winning the ball back early. Carragher has already expressed doubt over whether Liverpool’s current midfield personnel can function within that structure, arguing the issue lies as much with the system being asked of the players as with the individuals themselves.
Newcastle Exposed Liverpool’s Rest Defence
The risks of this approach were evident inside the first five minutes of Liverpool’s opening Premier League match of the season. With the full-backs already pushed high and the centre-backs sitting deep, a gap opened in midfield that left no protection in the space between the lines a gap Newcastle exploited to score. Given the attacking instincts of Liverpool’s full-backs and Virgil van Dijk’s growing tendency to sit deep alongside his centre-back partner, it is a structural issue that looks unlikely to disappear on its own, leaving Iraola with the most expensively assembled squad in the club’s history and, by some distance, its most visibly imbalanced in years.
Can Iraola Find Balance Without Further Signings?
With the transfer window now closed, any fix will have to come through coaching adjustments rather than the market. Carragher has acknowledged the trade-off Iraola faces, saying Liverpool do not want to sacrifice their attacking fluidity and numbers going forward, even though that approach left them exposed defensively in their first game. He described the challenge as one of balance rather than wholesale change Liverpool should not simply retreat into a defensive shape that eliminates their attacking threat, nor should a player like Gravenberch be instructed to stop driving forward with the ball. Instead, Carragher believes the solution lies in better game-reading from individual players, recognising the moments when joining the attack is safe and when holding position is the smarter choice a matter of situational awareness rather than a rigid, constantly-managed instruction from the touchline.
For now, a run of high-scoring draws looks like a realistic expectation for this Liverpool side. Whether their attacking strengths ultimately allow them to simply outscore opponents, or their structural weaknesses undermine their season, remains to be seen. An imbalanced and imperfect Liverpool side, then but an undeniably exciting one to watch.
Frequently Asked Questions: Liverpool’s Squad Balance
Why do people think Liverpool’s squad is unbalanced this season?
Despite spending over £200million this summer, Liverpool remain short of specialist cover at full-back and have added attacking depth on the left wing rather than replacing the right-sided threat lost when Mohamed Salah departed.
Why is Jeremie Frimpong playing right-back for Liverpool?
With Conor Bradley injured, Frimpong signed last summer and not originally intended as a direct Trent Alexander-Arnold replacement is currently the closest fit specialist option available in that position.
What went wrong for Liverpool in their opening Premier League game?
Newcastle exploited a gap between Liverpool’s high full-backs and deep centre-backs inside the first five minutes, scoring after no midfielder was positioned to cover the space between the lines.
Does Bradley Barcola solve Liverpool’s right-wing problem?
Not directly. Barcola is versatile but is considered best suited to the left, the same side already occupied by Cody Gakpo, meaning Liverpool’s right-wing gap left by Salah’s exit remains largely unresolved.
Final Word
Liverpool’s summer spending has produced an exciting, attack-minded squad under Andoni Iraola, but not yet a balanced one. With clear gaps at full-back and lingering questions over midfield protection, the coming weeks will show whether Iraola can find a structural solution on the training ground, or whether these early warning signs become a recurring theme across the season.
