The international break has given Liverpool time to reflect on an unbeaten but unspectacular start to the season. The summer saw significant squad changes, including the arrival of French winger Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain for £123 million.
Barcola has made five appearances without a goal contribution, prompting a warning from Arsenal and France legend Thierry Henry about the challenges of settling at Anfield.
Henry's warning on Barcola's settling-in period
Speaking to Betway, Henry said: “People forget that the tactic, the team and how you play matters. It’s not always easy when you’re used to a certain system and a way of playing, where everybody knows what’s happening at any time.”
He added: “He just arrived in Liverpool, he doesn’t speak English, and it’s a different style of play with different intensity in the league. I had to deal with it the same way, and then that little switch happened and I was more comfortable.”
Henry continued: “You start to speak English, you can joke around in the dressing room, you’re a bit less shy and people start to know what you’re about. It’s not an easy place to start, and he didn’t ask for his price tag, but it’s on his back. We all know that one-v-one, he is deadly, and he has pace. The only thing he needs to work on is his finishing, but that’s normal.”
He also noted: “If you see my finishing when I was 19 or 20 compared to the end of my career, it was so different. I became so much more sure about my game. With winning the Champions League back-to-back, playing for France, with the price tag and the quality that he has, people are not going to wait for him to become the finished article, so he’s going to have to deliver. There is going to be a level of expectation, and sometimes he is a bit raw in his finishing, but he creates a hell of a lot.”
Real Madrid interest in Quansah
According to SPORT BILD, Real Madrid have declared an interest in former Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah. The England international joined Bayer Leverkusen for £30m in the summer of 2025.
Quansah was subject to interest from Arsenal this summer, with the Gunners bidding £55m for the defender, who has a deal with Leverkusen until 2030. Arsenal eventually pivoted to Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa instead.
BILD reports that Real Madrid are on the hunt for at least two new defenders next summer and are watching Quansah closely. If he moved to the Spanish capital, he would follow Ibrahima Konate and Trent Alexander-Arnold as the third ex-Liverpool defender to join Los Blancos in recent years.
Liverpool have also been linked with a move to bring Quansah back to Merseyside. Upon the initial sale, the Anfield hierarchy inserted a £70m buy-back option into the centre-back's contract. According to the agreed terms, Liverpool will only have to pay £52m to re-sign the player, but will have to exercise their option before June 15, 2027.
