There’s a sense of Déjà vu on Merseyside this season.
Last summer, Liverpool negotiated with Newcastle for months before finally striking an agreement to sign Alexander Isak late on in the window for a British record fee of £125million.
The new No9 arrived having not had a proper pre-season and spent the first few months in red looking to get up to speed before he suffered a broken leg against Spurs in December.
His season never really got started and he finished his debut campaign with just three Premier League goals to his name.
This summer, the Reds spent months negotiating with Paris Saint-Germain before finally settling on a deal worth an initial £106million to bring Bradley Barcola to Anfield. While the Frenchman didn’t necessarily arrive unfit, he hadn’t played a competitive match of football since the World Cup.
Andoni Iraola wanted to get his new No29 into a rhythm as quickly as possible, so has used him as part of his starting XI over recent weeks. He racked up a little over 70 minutes in both matches against Fulham and Bournemouth as he looks to adapt to the English top-flight as quickly as possible.
And while Barcola doesn‘t look anywhere near as rusty as Isak did upon his arrival, it’s clear the former Lyon and PSG man is still finding his feet. Across the 170 minutes he’s racked up in the English top flight, he’s managed just two shots. He’s created just two chances too, with some fans feeling a little underwhelmed by his start to life at Anfield.
Simply put, he’s not having shots, he’s not creating chances and he’s struggling to beat a man, completing just 14% of his attempted take-ons.
His showing against Atletico Madrid was a little better. Deployed on the right flank by Iraola in what was a surprise to the starting XI in the Champions League, Barcola was subbed off after 60 minutes with cramp. He had the highest expected goals (xG) total in the game with 0.76, he had the joint most shots (three), and had the most big chances (three).
For some, it was a glimpse of what could be.
Barcola, playing a new role in a new system for a new team, caused a settled Atletico side a lot of issues and appeared to be a genuine threat. Others, however, felt as though that showing confirmed their initial concerns - he’s not ruthless. He’s not a penalty box predator and will spurn chances galore. It was a complaint levelled at him for both club and country.
Last season, for example, he ranked fourth for 'Big Chances Missed' in Ligue 1 with 15. During the 2024/25 campaign, he was second with 21. Across his final two seasons in France, the 28-cap international scored 25 goals in his 3,942 minutes, missing 36 Big Chances.
His wastefulness in big moments was allegedly one of the reasons that Luis Enrique dropped Barcola down the pecking order in the French capital.
It’s also one of the reasons the price tag appeared excessive.
This was someone who had lost their place in a PSG side sans Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi. The opportunity was there for him and he failed to make the most of it. He played his part in the team’s success but he wasn’t a pillar of their back-to-back European Cup wins. He then fluffed his lines on his first start for the club and has been on the periphery ever since.
Even while acclimatising to life in the Premier League, people expected more from him. Would he be another £100million headache for Iraola?
Isak is only just scoring goals on a regular basis while Florian Wirtz’s place in the starting XI is now being heavily scrutinised. Across his five Premier League outings, the German has one assist and has carved out just nine chances.
If it wasn’t for his performances lately, there would’ve been a lot more focus on Barcola.
Is the Frenchman a third £100million flop? It’ll be a question people ask if these current showings become the norm. However, there’s a lot of context needed when analysing his first few games for the Reds.
Ultimately, Iraola is still putting his stamp on this team.
There’s been a lot of change, not just to personnel but to the system and the players are still getting to grips with it. The Reds are essentially learning how to press again as a team while also looking to shore things up defensively.
So while Barcola is yet to score or assist, and his offensive numbers have taken a hit over recent matches, it is worth mentioning here that in his first three starts, the Reds have conceded just one goal and they’ve kept two clean sheets.
Barcola has played his part in that. He’s played his part in two wins and a draw. The 24-year-old has played his part in the Reds extending their unbeaten start to the season to seven matches across all competitions.
The goals, missed chances and everything else that comes with Barcola will soon be a factor. For now, though, he’s playing his part in a team digging deep and discovering their new identity under a manager.
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