Bradley Barcola’s arrival at Liverpool was supposed to be one of the biggest statements of the summer. The French winger arrived from Paris Saint-Germain in a deal worth around £123 million, signed a long-term contract and was brought in to add explosive pace, creativity and directness to a Liverpool attack that lost Mohamed Salah.
But just days into his Liverpool career, an unexpected problem is already becoming impossible to ignore.
Cody Gakpo.
Barcola was widely viewed as the player who could transform Liverpool’s left side. His ability to carry the ball at speed, attack defenders and make aggressive runs behind the defensive line made him an obvious choice for a team looking to refresh its attack.
The complication is that Gakpo has started the new campaign in excellent form.
Rather than leaving Liverpool after strong interest from Manchester City, Gakpo remained at Anfield. The club rejected an offer believed to be worth around £80 million, while manager Andoni Iraola made it clear that he valued the Dutch forward and did not want to lose him.
That decision has suddenly created a fascinating tactical headache.
Barcola naturally prefers the left side, while Gakpo has also spent much of his Liverpool career operating from that position. Both are capable of cutting inside onto their stronger foot, both possess the physicality to handle Premier League defenders and both can contribute goals and assists from wide areas.
Liverpool therefore have two high-level players competing for essentially the same attacking territory.
And Gakpo is not making the decision any easier.
In Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Ipswich, Gakpo was one of the standout performers, providing the assists for both of Alexander Isak’s goals. Barcola, meanwhile, made his Liverpool debut from the bench.
That performance immediately raised an uncomfortable question for Iraola.
How do you remove Gakpo from the team when he is producing?
The solution could be to move Gakpo to the right.
Liverpool entered the season without a natural replacement for Salah on that flank, and the club ultimately failed to sign another specialist right winger. Gakpo has already shown that he can operate from the right, while Barcola is capable of playing on either side. Iraola has also spoken about the flexibility of his attacking options.
That could eventually produce an attacking setup featuring Barcola on the left, Gakpo on the right and Isak through the middle.
On paper, that sounds frightening.
Barcola would provide the raw acceleration and one-on-one threat on the left. Gakpo could offer a different type of threat from the opposite side, using his size, movement and finishing ability to attack the box. Isak would then have two dangerous wide players capable of creating space and supplying him.
But there is another side to the story.
Barcola did not arrive at Liverpool for £123 million to become a squad player.
He was one of the club’s primary targets throughout the summer, and Liverpool spent weeks negotiating with PSG before finally reaching an agreement. The French champions had initially valued him at around £145 million before the clubs eventually reached a compromise.
That kind of investment comes with enormous expectations.
Barcola will be expected to start important matches, influence games and justify the massive fee. At the same time, Gakpo has suddenly become too valuable to simply push aside.
This is where Iraola’s biggest challenge begins.
The Liverpool manager now has to find a system that gets the best out of both players without weakening the overall balance of the team.
The encouraging part is that Barcola offers something Liverpool desperately needed. His pace gives the attack another dimension, particularly against teams that defend deep. His ability to carry the ball over long distances can turn defensive situations into attacking opportunities almost instantly.
And there are already signs that his speed could become a major weapon. Barcola reportedly clocked 22.3 mph during his Liverpool debut, immediately setting the fastest top speed recorded in the Premier League this season at that point.
So the problem is not that Liverpool have too few attacking options.
It is almost the opposite.
They now have too many players who deserve minutes in similar positions.
Barcola, Gakpo, Rio Ngumoha and Victor Muñoz all offer options from the wide areas, while Liverpool still have to figure out how best to compensate for the absence of a natural right winger following Salah’s departure.
That makes Barcola’s situation particularly interesting.
His biggest challenge at Liverpool may not be adapting to the Premier League, dealing with the pressure of his enormous transfer fee or competing against defenders.
It could simply be convincing Iraola that he deserves to start ahead of a player who has already begun the season on fire.
And if Gakpo continues producing while Barcola finds his rhythm, Liverpool could face the kind of selection dilemma most clubs would love to have.
The real question is whether Iraola can turn that dilemma into Liverpool’s biggest attacking advantage.
