Former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey has said his old club need to give head coach Andoni Iraola more backing in the transfer market, but the Reds could soon be on the brink of making 'unreal' deals following a huge investment in the club.
Only three new faces since Iraola arrived
Centre-back Jeremy Jacquet, winger Victor Munoz and on-loan defender Ronald Araujo are the only new faces in the Reds squad since Iraola replaced Arne Slot as head coach at the start of the summer.
Liverpool remain in the market for at least one forward, with talks continuing with Paris Saint-Germain over the pursuit of double Champions League winner Bradley Barcola.
However, there are question marks over a number of current squad members, with Inter still keen on signing Curtis Jones, having had two previous bids rejected.
Heskey: Iraola needs more backing
Speaking to football betting at BetWright, Heskey said: "Liverpool’s transfer activity hasn't been great so far. They’ve brought a new manager in, but they haven’t equipped Andoni Iraola with the right tools to say ‘go and have a go'.
"They're losing Mohamed Salah, Ibrahima Konate and Andy Robertson, so it’s not going to be easy going into a new season without that calibre of players and the leadership they brought to the club.
"I’d like to think the club will give Iraola some more signings, but right now, he needs more backing. Bradley Barcola would be an outstanding signing; he’s a really exciting player, to the point where you’re making comparisons to Sadio Mane.
"However, Liverpool don’t just go and buy whoever is on form, they have a proper process and a committee in place to get the right people through the door."
Investment could transform Liverpool's structure
Liverpool last week confirmed they had agreed to sell a 30% stake in the club - believed to be worth around £1.4billion - to a consortium called 1892 Holdings, which is led by former Queens Park Rangers director Amit Bhatia and includes Amazon chief Jeff Bezos and Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin.
Heskey said: "This deal could take Liverpool to another realm they haven’t been to in a while, in terms of structure and being able to do what they want, when they want. For a club of their size, it’s unreal.
"I’m not saying they’ll be throwing money around the place, but structurally, Liverpool are up there with Brighton, Bournemouth, Brentford and Arsenal as some of the best run clubs in the league."
He added: "Liverpool have got to a point where they can spend £100m or more on a player because they have built a business that works. Whereas at Leicester City, for example, they can’t spend a penny because the business doesn’t work."
