- 4 weeks ago
Andoni Iraola on Liverpool Barcola, transfer business and Ipswich preview
03/09/2026
AXA training centre, Liverpool, UK
03/09/2026
AXA training centre, Liverpool, UK
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00:02Andriy, first of all, Bradley Barclay, how exciting is signing, how important is signing and how ready to go straight
00:07in this weekend as well?
00:09Yes, we are very happy with Bradley, it was our priority, let's say, to sign a very, very good player
00:18in that position and I think he has also come with the right mentality.
00:26I've liked from him that he wanted Liverpool a lot, he just wanted to come here and I think that's
00:34a good first sign and being the player that he is and the things that he has won recently, I
00:43think he has come also with the willingness to help us.
00:46And I'm very happy with him and he trained well with us, if everything goes well today's training also he
00:55will definitely be available for tomorrow, yes.
00:57And Cody Gakpo stays, so what's his mindset and how happy are you not only that he stays but also
01:04that any doubts about his future kind of goes away for the time being at least?
01:09Cody is a very smart player. I think also my relationship with him has been very honest since the beginning,
01:19he has performed with us, I would say, very well in all the preseason games, in all the games he
01:25scored first day, assisted the next one.
01:29And he was always aware of the situation in the market, we were constantly talking with each other, he's trained
01:38very well and I hope we keep him in the same level, I'm sure it's going to be like this,
01:42I think he's in a good place physically, mentally and I'm very happy to keep Cody because for me he's
01:51a very valuable player.
01:52I know in the past as well we've challenged players to not just stay in one position to play in
01:58other positions and be versatile like that, but at the same time you've obviously not brought in a wide attacking
02:04player naturally suited to the right hand side and we've not seen other options coming in other areas of the
02:10pitch as well, so how balanced do you feel with the squad is and how happy are you with the
02:15balance that you've got?
02:15I think we've preferred at the best players probably than a player that maybe is specifically for that position, no,
02:27I think I'm very used, you know, from my previous teams to demand for all the wingers to play both
02:36sides,
02:36I know they have normally their preferred position, but we've been playing with Victor, with Cody, with Rio in pre
02:46-season in competition now on the right side, I think probably all of them have played more on the left,
02:52but I would say I've seen them in a good place on the right, probably Rio is more specific from
03:00the left side,
03:00but I think he has also showed the willingness to improve and play on the right, even Bradley, I think
03:08he's very open and I think he can play right and left, he started actually more on the right side
03:16when he started with Olympique Lyon,
03:20and I think obviously it will depend on the match-ups and what we consider from every game, but I'm
03:28happy with the four wingers we have and I'm sure we are going to be able to cover those two
03:35positions, yes.
03:55Yeah, but I think we cannot put the price on the players, so we put pressure on the players to
04:02perform because they cost, because we've seen the market,
04:04we've seen what the players have cost in this summer, in other positions for other teams, so it's about we
04:15trust the players we have, now we have to help them to perform,
04:19not just because they cost one, for me it's the same, I will put the player that I think will
04:24help us to win the game, I will not be looking at if they earn more money, less money,
04:28they cost us more, they cost us less, I need to win games, so once it's our player, for me
04:34it's our player, I don't really know what they earn,
04:38I don't ask to the club how much they earn, I don't know, I don't know, for me they're all
04:42football players and I have to choose the best one each week to try to win.
04:59Yes, definitely, I said, yes, yes, when you don't win you are frustrated, it's part of the job, I think
05:07it's still two games but I want to win, I need to win,
05:09and we will go with this, this aim tomorrow, I think these two game weeks for me are probably the
05:21most difficult ones in terms of the market open, difficult situations, everything is like virtual,
05:28and now, honestly, I'm much more comfortable, once the market is closed, we know who we are, I think we
05:35have a lot of talent in this group of players,
05:38and now we have to perform, we have to do our job, and we have to start from tomorrow, yes.
05:44You have to perform, you have to start from tomorrow, what kind of game do you expect tomorrow?
05:48I think Ipswich is a team that I think they've started well in terms of they won the first game
05:55at home, even the other day, even if you look at the result,
06:00you can think, okay, they were far from United but I think the first half probably they were the better
06:04team and until United scored a 2-1
06:08and the game went more open and they had to risk a little bit more, I think they were playing
06:12really well,
06:12so we have to be very ready and give our best to win our first game.
06:30Yes, I think since I started here I talked to a lot of players about their position, where they play,
06:42I prefer to play, but I haven't found any situations where any player has told me now I don't want
06:47to play here.
06:48I think everyone has shown the right attitude, I more or less know the preferred position of everyone,
06:56sometimes it's the same I think from then, sometimes I say, okay, I see you maybe more here and we
07:01have discussions,
07:03but everyone is ready to help and if we have to play him as a right-winner, as a right
07:10-back, as a left-back, I think he's ready to do it.
07:14I think he wants to help the team first and I think it's good also to have players who can
07:20cover different positions,
07:22especially now probably that we have some injuries and probably we need this versatility of the players,
07:31having players like Dom for me is very valuable because even in-game they allow me to change their positions.
07:42The side has equalised four times already this season in the two games so far. Of course, you'll want to
07:47be going from the start-up later,
07:49but how pleased have you been with the reaction from the team in both those games to suffering set-backs?
07:55That's the positive side of the reaction. I want to focus on, let's try to score first, because everything looks
08:01better, everything looks easier.
08:03We've been basically losing 90% of the minutes this season because we considered very early goals.
08:11And when you are losing, everything that is not your score doesn't look good.
08:16Everything, even the same play, same pattern, you are losing doesn't look good.
08:19You are winning 1-0 and the same pattern looks, wow, it's nice and they are controlling.
08:25So, let's focus on starting stronger the games.
08:29Don't wait until Jura says the first goal to be more aggressive, to be more... No, I think we have
08:34to start definitely stronger,
08:37because after everything else gets a lot easier when you are controlling the result.
08:54It's a good question, it's a good question. I see him in a good place. He has trained with us
09:00in three trainings.
09:03It's true that he hasn't had minutes in pre-season, but he has been training normal with the group, and
09:12then it's a decision that we have to make.
09:14I think he's in a good place, but we also have to consider that he hasn't had the minutes in
09:20the pre-season games.
09:22The last thing you said here is that since you came in you were talking to the crew about who
09:29you wanted. Did you get everything you wanted?
09:34I'm very happy with all the signings we've made. I think three or four signings with Jeremy. I'm very happy
09:40with all the signings.
09:44I know the next question. You wanted more signings in other positions. At the end, the club has decided that
09:51those signings that we've done are the ones that improved our team,
09:56improved our position, and there were other options that we decided not to take for different reasons.
10:02Sometimes it's sporting reasons because they don't improve what you have. Sometimes it's because of economical reasons. It didn't make
10:08sense in terms of the market to do those movements.
10:13But I'm happy now that I know what we have. I have a lot of quality in the team, and
10:19now is the moment for us, for the players, for me, to develop what we have.
10:36Yes, I think, as you said, the closest one is Joe. Joe will probably start training with us next week.
10:46And it has gone normal. The recovery, a muscle injury, more or less, respecting the time and this, and I
10:53hope we can have him before the break, let's say.
10:58I think the next one probably should be Giovanni Leone. I think the plan is also to start training during
11:06the break with the group.
11:10I think even Fede should be around those dates and probably Conor and especially Hugo go later, yes.
11:24Hi, Andy. I wanted to ask about Rio and Gamora. Firstly, he's now eligible for a professional contract. I wanted
11:31to know if there's been any movement on that.
11:33And secondly, you mentioned the fact that he's played some time on the right-hand side.
11:37It probably wasn't as comfortable for him as it was for him.
11:41I wonder, particularly with a young player, does there come a point where it makes more sense to keep him
11:48in his natural position,
11:49or has he got to fight for him?
11:53I think a little bit of both. I think we know Rio probably, because he has played there until now,
11:59probably his preferred position is on the left, but also he needs to develop on the right so he can
12:10have more options to play.
12:11Because if you have both options, you know, you can challenge for here and challenge for here.
12:16So I think he's ready to do it. And he's so young that because he hasn't been incredible in the
12:23first game we put him on the right,
12:24we cannot say, no, he cannot play on the right anymore. Maybe it's going to take more time, but sometimes
12:31until you don't put the player there in a competitive game,
12:34you don't know also how they're going to answer. No, Victor also has played more games kind of in the
12:39left winger during his career,
12:41but maybe he has even been better on the right with us, you know, and sometimes it's a matter of
12:48the connections they make with the players around them.
12:51And we trust all the winners we have. I think they are all going to give us quality minutes, we
13:01will need them all.
13:03And Rio is incredible because he's winning his birthday yesterday or two days ago, you know,
13:09happy 18th birthday and looks already like a settled football player in the Premier League and this is because he's
13:17very good, yes.
13:17And any news on the contract? No, no news. From my side, no news.
13:24It's been a lot of talk about right back and centre midfield after the first two games of the season,
13:29but when you look at the squad,
13:31do you believe you do have enough in both those areas for the challenges ahead?
13:36Yeah, the challenge now in our squad is that we have, now for example, you asked me for the right
13:41back, so we don't have Conor Bradley right now,
13:45definitely we look thin, yes. But if you take two players from every position injured, you will look thin, always.
13:54And now we are in that situation. That's why I value Dom Soboslai, who can play right back, Julian Araujo,
14:01who can play right back.
14:03You know, this versatility in the players helps us to go through these moments in the season where we will
14:08have injuries and now is the right back.
14:11But maybe in two months we are talking about other positions and then for me it's very valuable to have
14:18players who can cover us during these moments
14:20where we are thin in certain positions like Kambi right back right now, yes.
14:25How about midfield?
14:26I think in midfield we have good numbers. We have good numbers. Now it's a matter of getting the right
14:37calls from my side.
14:39I learn every game I coach these players, I learn a lot. And finding now the best combinations, now we
14:47are going to go in a period of these next two weeks
14:49where we are going to play a lot of games. And we will have the chances also to see all
14:59the options we have, the combinations,
15:00who plays well with the other. And I think it's a matter of coaching and taking the decisions, but we
15:09have the numbers there.