The Window Is Over, Now Iraola Needs Our Backing

The transfer window is finally behind us and, believe it or not, I am glad. I spent the summer saying what I thought Liverpool needed, questioning the decisions being made, and getting increasingly frustrated as obvious holes in the squad remained untouched. That was the time to complain because the window was open and Liverpool could still do something about it. Now they can’t. Andoni Iraola knows the squad he has until January, the players know where they stand, and I am ready to get behind them. That does not mean pretending the summer was a success, though, and it certainly does not mean accepting what looks to me like an attempt to rewrite what we all watched happen.

I believe in Iraola. I think Liverpool appointed a very good coach, and I have seen enough already to believe he can bring back the intensity, aggression, and recognisable style of football that I want from this club. My concern has never really been whether Iraola is capable of succeeding. It is whether the people above him have given him enough to do it. With a properly stocked squad, I’d be confident. Right now, I’m probably more hopeful than confident, because I think he’s starting this season with one hand tied behind his back.

Don’t Tell Me Liverpool Achieved Their Objectives

What has irritated me since the window closed is the suggestion that Liverpool basically did what they intended to do.

James Pearce reported that despite supporters being concerned about the failure to strengthen at full-back or in midfield, Liverpool believe they achieved their objectives and are confident Iraola can improve the players already at his disposal. Patience will obviously be required with a new manager, and I completely agree with that part. What I cannot accept is the idea that this summer somehow went according to plan.

Iraola himself said on 21 August that Liverpool were still thin and that he expected more players. Bradley Barcola subsequently arrived, and I am absolutely delighted about that, but are we seriously supposed to believe one attacking signing satisfied everything the manager was talking about?

The revisionism around Richard Hughes doesn’t convince me either. We are being told that the groundwork he did over 12 months was vital to signing Barcola and supposedly vindicates the decision to leave him in charge despite his impending departure. My interpretation is very different. If everything was running so brilliantly, why did other senior figures need to become involved in getting Liverpool’s priority deal over the line?

Barcola is here, and that is ultimately what matters. I think he’s an excellent signing. Victor Muñoz looks like clever business as well. But my criticism has never primarily been about the players Liverpool signed. It is about the players they didn’t sign.

Net Spend Doesn’t Tell The Whole Story

Apparently, Liverpool having the biggest net spend in the Premier League is supposed to make everything okay. I’m sorry, but context matters.

If you manage contracts poorly and allow valuable players to leave for nothing, eventually replacing them is going to cost you enormous amounts of money. You don’t get a medal for spending hundreds of millions fixing problems that better succession planning might have prevented in the first place.

This is why I found Mo Chatra’s assessment of Liverpool’s recruitment so interesting. He traced the deterioration back over several years, through sporting director changes, weakening contract management, and the gradual disappearance of the proactive recruitment model that once made Liverpool the envy of football. Liverpool have gone from Michael Edwards to Julian Ward, Jörg Schmadtke, and Richard Hughes in a remarkably short period. That turnover matters because continuity matters.

Think about what Liverpool recruitment used to represent. Salah, Mané, Wijnaldum, Robertson, Van Dijk, Alisson, and Fabinho were assembled during a period when Liverpool seemed consistently capable of identifying exactly what the squad needed. There was a clarity to it. There was value. There was succession planning.

Now we’re heading into another season, asking where the defensive midfielder is.

Back in 2023, Liverpool tried to sign Moisés Caicedo and eventually brought in Wataru Endo as a short-term solution. Years later, we’re still discussing the same position. We also knew Liverpool needed greater security at right-back this summer, and nothing happened there either. You don’t need an advanced analytics department to see opponents finding space behind Liverpool’s right side. Your eyes tell you.

Iraola Deserves Time And Support

This is why I won’t allow Iraola to become the convenient scapegoat if Liverpool struggle.

That doesn’t mean he’s immune from criticism. If he picks the wrong team, I’ll say it. If his tactics are poor, I’ll say it. If he makes ridiculous substitutions, I’ll say it. That’s football.

But there is a difference between criticising a coach for decisions he controls and blaming him for structural problems somebody else created.

Iraola wants his teams to play with intensity. That demands physical conditioning and squad depth. Liverpool are going into a season involving Premier League and Champions League football without the depth I would want for that approach. At centre-back alone, I’m already worried about how carefully we’re going to have to manage the available bodies. Joe Gomez’s fitness cannot be relied upon, Giovanni Leoni isn’t ready yet, and I don’t want Ronald Araújo being shifted to right-back when doing so potentially leaves us exposed centrally.

Then there’s midfield and the full-back situation. We can talk about Dominik Szoboszlai playing right-back, and I actually think he’s probably the best solution available at the moment, but that’s precisely the problem. We’re discussing moving one of our midfielders into defence because Liverpool didn’t adequately solve the position in the transfer market.

None of this means Liverpool cannot have a good season. Seventy percent of supporters voting in my poll said they believe Iraola can bring success back to Liverpool, and I’m with them. I believe we have the right coach. I just wish we’d given him more.

Now It’s About Football

This is where my attitude changes.

I’ve done my shouting about the window. I’ve criticised Hughes, FSG, and the recruitment structure. I’ve said repeatedly where I think Liverpool are short. There’s no benefit in spending every day between now and January screaming about a midfielder who isn’t coming.

Now I want to enjoy Barcola.

I cannot wait to see what he brings to this attack. His acceleration, ability to attack defenders, and versatility should give Iraola something genuinely different. Pair him with Wirtz, Isak, Ekitike, and Muñoz, and there are attacking combinations that should excite every Liverpool supporter.

I’m also excited about Iraola himself. I want that energy back. I want Liverpool pressing, fighting, running, and making life horrible for opponents again. I want to recognise my team.

Ipswich on Friday is where that starts. Two points from the opening six means Liverpool need to get moving quickly, and for me, this is already a must-win game. Not because Ipswich are somehow there to be rolled over, but because you cannot allow a difficult start to become a damaging one.

There will be time later to discuss ownership changes, Ahmed Bhatia’s consortium, the next sporting director, and whether Liverpool eventually return for Lamine Camara. All of that can wait.

What matters now is giving Iraola a chance.

I don’t accept that this transfer window was the success some people are trying to portray. I don’t accept that all of Liverpool’s objectives were achieved, and I’m certainly not going to forget the concerns we spent the entire summer discussing simply because somebody has decided to put a positive spin on them.

But the window is closed.

The argument is finished.

Now, Iraola and these players have my full backing. I desperately want them to prove that, despite everything Liverpool failed to do this summer, there is still enough talent, character, and quality inside this squad to make the season one worth remembering.