Liverpool have secured the signing of teenage prospect Isaiah Bryan from West Bromwich Albion for a reported compensation fee of £200,000, as new manager Andoni Iraola looks to reshape his squad ahead of the 2026-27 season. The 14-year-old centre-back announced his move on Instagram, stating, "Proud to announce that I'm joining Liverpool Football Club. It's an honour to become part of a great club. I'm grateful for this opportunity and can't wait to get started and meet my team-mates." Bryan is set to join Liverpool's under-15s, with the Reds beating Aston Villa to his signature.
McAteer urges focus on right flank
Former Liverpool midfielder Jason McAteer has called on Iraola to prioritise strengthening the right side of the pitch, following the departure of Mohamed Salah and ongoing injury issues at right-back. McAteer identified both a full-back and a winger as essential additions. "I think the areas of concern are down Liverpool's right-hand side, having lost Trent [Alexander-Arnold] two seasons ago. It vacated a big, big space which we obviously thought Conor Bradley would slot into," McAteer told Betarades.gr.
McAteer highlighted the struggles of Jeremie Frimpong, who has been deployed out of position. "He's not an ideal right-back in defensive situations. He's more of a wing-back, more of an attacking player. So he's had to fill in and we've had [Dominik] Szoboszlai play right-back too so it's not been great." He added that the right side has been a persistent weakness, with Salah's exit compounding the issue.
Diomande and Barcola linked
Yan Diomande, a winger valued at over £100 million, has been heavily linked with Liverpool but Paris Saint-Germain are now favourites to sign him. McAteer cautioned against paying such a fee for potential, saying, "The fact that you're looking at maybe paying £100m for him means that you're kind of looking for him to set the world alight at that kind of price on the biggest stage, and the World Cup was his platform. It was difficult to judge him on his World Cup performances, but he's definitely a young talent that needs to be looked at."
Instead, McAteer backed France winger Bradley Barcola as a more reliable option. "Between Diomande and Barcola I would probably go for Barcola right now. I don't think Liverpool need to buy potential anymore. I think we found out last season that potential doesn't necessarily work all the time. You kind of need to buy a bit more of a finished article and someone you can trust a little bit more."
Liverpool's summer schedule
Liverpool's pre-season begins next Saturday with a friendly against Premier League side Sunderland in Nashville. Iraola has welcomed back players from the World Cup and aims to implement his tactics quickly to return Liverpool to title contention. The club have already signed Victor Munoz, who can play on the right, but further reinforcements are expected.
