Bradley Barcola is already under intense pressure at Liverpool – and he hasn’t technically joined yet. The Frenchman is set to move to Anfield for £100m.
£100m is an awful lot of money for a footballer. Liverpool had never spent that much on a footballer 18 months ago, typically shopping in at least a bracket below that (and typically two).
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Now? Well, they’re about to have a third in their attack. Florian Wirtz became the first last year, with Alexander Isak following later in the same window.
And now Bradley Barcola is set to join Liverpool. The Athletic are among those reporting that a £100m deal has been agreed, with potential for £120m. It’s a sensational amount, given Barcola is essentially Paris Saint-Germain’s second-choice left winger.
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Still, Liverpool are putting faith in him. They feel the 23-year-old could relight their attack and bring some of the energy they sorely lacked last season.
But with this move comes intense pressure. Possibly more pressure than any Liverpool signing before him – and it’ll be impressive simply to handle it. We’ve seen already just how much of a spotlight is on Florian Wirtz, and he wasn’t expected to fix an attack.
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Wirtz was always viewed as a long-term signing but after just one season, there are already some dramatic shouts about his long-term future. Enough so that many aren’t convinced he’ll stick around for his contract.
And we’d argue there’s more pressure on Barcola. The winger is coming in to fix the attack and is the big hope to get the most out of Wirtz and Isak. He’s expected to have a transformative effect, with Liverpool paying the kind of money that suggests they believe that, too.
If he doesn’t hit the ground running, things will turn toxic quite quickly. That’s not to say that will happen – Barcola is a top player and one we believe can smash it.
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