Liverpool’s Transfer Jigsaw: Iraola's Plans for Key Signings

Andoni Iraola has been clear. Liverpool are not finished. The squad that walked back into pre-season will not be the same one that lines up once the window slams shut.

The question is no longer if they will buy. It’s where they must.

Wide Areas Top the List

Left wing and right wing sit at the top of the agenda. Everyone inside Anfield knows it. Everyone outside can see it.

Talks are ongoing with PSG for Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye, with Liverpool pushing to prise at least one – and ideally both – out of Paris. At the same time, reports say a £50m bid for Yankuba Minteh has already been knocked back.

That Minteh move feels like part of the game. A signal. A bit of pressure aimed at PSG over their valuation of Mbaye rather than a full-blooded attempt to land the Newcastle winger. Liverpool want options out wide, but they also want value.

Barcola and Mbaye would add pace, creativity and genuine rotation options. But even landing the PSG duo would not fully solve the depth problem on their own.

Midfield: Numbers and Nerve

Then comes the engine room.

Curtis Jones is heading towards Inter Milan, and his exit changes the equation. Even before his likely departure, there was a sense that Iraola needed one more midfielder to cope with the sheer volume of games ahead. If Jones goes, that need becomes non-negotiable.

Liverpool want legs, control and reliability in the middle. One name refuses to go away: Adam Wharton.

The Crystal Palace midfielder would be a dream addition for many. The problem is his price. With Palace demanding around £100m, any move looks remote. That figure makes Wharton more fantasy than expectation right now, but it underlines the calibre of player Liverpool are targeting for that role.

Right-Back: A Specialist Still Required

Right-back keeps cropping up in fan debates. On paper, Ronald Araujo can slot in there and perform to a good level. He’s done it, he can do it again.

But that’s a compromise, not a solution.

Iraola’s system asks a lot of his full-backs. A specialist right-back would sharpen that side of the pitch and protect Araujo for his best position. One option that has caught the eye is Hector Fort, with Liverpool linked to a loan move for the 20-year-old.

Fort is still raw, but the early research on him has been encouraging. He offers energy, technical quality and the profile of a modern full-back who can grow into the role rather than simply plug a gap.

Iraola’s Promise

Pressed on Liverpool’s plans in an exclusive Sky Sports interview, Jamie Carragher went straight to what supporters want to hear: will there be more signings?

Iraola didn’t dance around it.

“We will definitely sign some players,” the Spanish coach said. “Some deals you have to wait until the end. But the end is the important picture, the one we will have on September 1. Because it is true that we are still quite thin.”

Thin. That’s the word that lingers. A squad good enough to compete, but not yet armed to sustain a full Premier League and European campaign at full tilt.

The Ideal Four

If Liverpool could script the final weeks of the window, the wish list is clear.

Barcola and Mbaye to transform the flanks. Wharton – in an ideal world – to add class and control in midfield, even if his price tag makes it a long shot. Fort at right-back to bring specialist depth and long-term potential.

Those four alone would dramatically alter the feel of Iraola’s options heading into the 2026/27 season.

The promise has been made. Now Liverpool’s window will be judged on how close they get to that vision before Deadline Day hits.