Liverpool have reached an agreement in principle to sign Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain, and former Reds defender Stephen Warnock believes the club still need to add a right-back and a midfielder to complete their squad rebuild.
The deal for the France international winger includes a guaranteed fee of just over £100m and an overall package in the region of £120m with add-ons, following talks overnight on Wednesday. Barcola has been Liverpool's top transfer target all summer as the club looks to reshape its attack after Mohamed Salah's departure.
Warnock calls for defensive and midfield reinforcements
Speaking about the state of the squad, Warnock said: "I think they still need a right-back to compete in that position. Conor Bradley is still not fully fit. I think at centre-half, they're probably covered now with (Jeremy) Jacquet and (Ronald) Araujo, and you've got (Giovanni) Leoni to come back in a couple of months' time. It seems like he's getting integrated back. But I think you need a specialist right-back."
"So I do think they need a few players. I think Liverpool were light in midfield last year, even with four midfielders. It looked like they were really struggling with the amount of football that they were playing."
Praise for Iraola but squad depth concerns
Warnock, speaking to Rekatochklart.com, said he has been impressed with Andoni Iraola so far but is concerned the manager may be left with too small a squad to compete on all fronts.
"From what I've seen from Iraola, I love his calmness, his approach to the game. I don't think he goes away from his values and what he is," he said. "I think he's strong-minded mentally and when he goes into the changing room, I don't think he will be sort of in awe of being at Liverpool. I think he's got the strong mentality to deal with that."
"I think even signing a short-term contract tells you that he's confident in his own abilities. It's not like he's there for the long-term, it's more of him stamping his authority on the team immediately."
"I think the way he speaks after games, it's a bit of a cliche to say but it's what Liverpool fans expect to hear - honesty about the team and where they're at."
"There's always going to be the fear that he won't succeed. You're at Liverpool FC and you've got to perform week in and week out. You've got to get the players to buy into your tactics and what you're doing."
"I think the great thing is that all the noise coming out of Liverpool, with the players, is ultra-positive. They're buying into what he wants and what he's trying to achieve. I think that energy is back around the football club, which was desperately needed."
Back the new boss
"I'm optimistic, I just think he needs bodies through the door. Don't undersell him. That's the big thing. If you're going to get a new manager through the door, give him the tools to be successful. Don't undersell him and suddenly say we've got the wrong man for the job. You got rid of a few senior players, you've gotta go and back him now."
