Paris Saint-Germain head coach Luis Enrique has said the club could not guarantee Bradley Barcola the more important role he wanted before his transfer to Liverpool.
Barcola, 24, played in 49 matches across all competitions for PSG last season but did not start any of their Champions League ties from the quarter-finals onwards. When he was a starter, he played the full 90 minutes in just eight matches.
Those substitute appearances limited him to just under 3,000 minutes. By comparison, Barcola managed barely 100 more minutes than Hugo Ekitike, who was injured for Liverpool's final six matches of the season.
Enrique on Barcola's growth in Paris
Both future France internationals signed for PSG in the same transfer window, which was also Enrique's first after being appointed head coach.
Reflecting on Barcola's time in the French capital, which ended exactly three years to the day it started, Enrique said: "He has grown immensely in Paris since his arrival from Lyon. Furthermore, he has greatly improved the team with his performance."
"His desire was to play a more important role in the side, something I could not guarantee him. Ultimately, I believe everyone benefits from this situation. I accept it and wish him all the best."
Iraola's confidence in Barcola
Barcola revealed in his first interview with Liverpool what he and head coach Andoni Iraola discussed before the move. He said: "Here, I was able to talk to him several times."
"And he told me that my quality brought a real plus to this team and that he was counting on me, that he had confidence in me. That's what made me want to join this team."
"Because when you have the confidence of a coach, you can only be good on the pitch. So, it's a very good thing to play with such a good coach."
Speaking about the signing during his pre-match press conference, Iraola said: "We are very happy with Bradley. It was our priority, let's say, to sign a very, very good player in that position."
"I think he has also come with the right mentality. I've liked from him that he wanted Liverpool a lot. He just wanted to come here, and I think that's a good first sign."
"Being the player that he is and the things that he has won recently, I think he has also come with the willingness to help us. I'm very happy with him."
