Jamie Carragher warns Liverpool about Bradley Barcola signing “not Salah’s replacement”
Not many people know Liverpool more than former captain Jamie Carragher, who doesn’t see Bradly Barcola as Mohamed Salah’s replacement on the right.
Liverpool is going through a massive reconstruction this summer, and things are going to look at feel different. One man who knows the ins and outs of the club is Jamie Carragher and he is a bit cautious of a potential signing of one of the summer’s biggest stars on the market.
Is Barcola the “right” man?
Bradley Barcola is coming off of a winning a second straight Champions League with PSG. He represented France in the World Cup. Now he is hitting the transfer market as one of the top targets for clubs around Europe. The winger is said to be high of the priority list at Anfield, but former club captain Jamie Carragher isn’t sure if that’s what the Reds need right now.
Before expressing his doubt on where he will fit in the club, Carragher did admit to Sky Sports, “He is a wonderful player, there is no doubt about that, and I would love to see Barcola at Liverpool, but for me he’s a left winger.” The question doesn’t concern his quality, instead it concerns an overload on the left side.
With Mohamed Salah leaving Liverpool at the end of last season, there is a vacancy on the right wing. “The main thing that stands out as an urgent need for Liverpool right now is replacing Salah, who was playing as a right winger. And I do not think Liverpool have any player in the squad who feels completely comfortable playing in the right wing position.”
New look Liverpool under Iraola
Liverpool already have an established player, an up and coming player and a recent signing how are meant to play on the left side. With Cody Gakpo, Rio Ngumoha and recent signing Victor Muñoz all favored on the left side Carragher sees a fourth option as a surplus. “The team probably have at least four numbers in the squad before Barcola joins, if he joins, who can play on the left side quite comfortably,” said Carragher.
While the former center back doesn’t object to the PSG man coming to the English giants, he still knows some one on the right side will be a necessity along with the offloading of some players before the league campaign kicks off. “But if you asked me, do I want Barcola to arrive along with Liverpool signing a right winger too? I would be very happy because players would have to leave, and that is of course a natural thing,” said the current BBC columnist, and CBS pundit.
Mo Salah’s absence isn’t the only thing that will be different at Anfield this year. Arne Slot, who may have been partially responsible in Salah’s departure, was fired too. Now, former Bournemouth coach, Andoni Iraola will be patrolling the touchline. While Iraloa has a strong squad, there is still box from the summer objective list still to check. “But at the moment, I felt that this summer should be dedicated to replacing Salah, and Barcola does not make up for Mo’s departure,” said Carragher.
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