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After a sublime season with PSG and France, forward Bradley Barcola has been under much transfer sepeculation. He has been linked with Arsenal and Man United but Liverpool have made a big of around £85m pounds and it appears personal terms won't be an issue. However, will Merseyside be his best option?

What's the situation?

    Last season, youngster Bradley Barcola shone in a stunning season for PSG where they won Ligue 1 and won their second Champions League in 2 years. He registered 13 goals and 4 assists in all competitions, with all of his assists coming in the Champions League. However, due to his youth and talent, many clubs are interested in signing him. He is interested in a move away because he wants more game time as it has been threatened with signing of Georgian superstar Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who has been key in the PSG squad and his contract, which runs unitll June 2028, has had negotiations come to a halt as wants to start in games,  but crunch Champions League ones too and with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia coming into the starting line-up this is becoming increasingly unlikely to happen. 

Why are Liverpool bidding?

    With the departure of Mo Salah, The Reds are in a search to replace their Egyptian Icon. They had, and still have interest in Yan Diomande, but he has made it clear that PSG is his preferred destination. This singles out Barcola as their only real option for a replacement for Mohammed Salah. His age is also a factor too, being only 23, he has young legs and more energy on the pitch, this is especially useful as he is a winger and has more explosive power to beat his man. With the tragic loss of Diego Jota and the departure of Luis Días, Liverpool lacked that pace and aggression on the wing last season and their only real creative winger was 17 year old Rio Ngumoha, who had very limited game time last season under Arne Slott. Barcola also adds strength in depth to the Liverpool front line as he can go alongside top forwards like Cody Gakpo, Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak. With Liverpool having to balence Premier League and Champions League, he will become especially useful as it allows the manager to rest players and keep the squad fresh, which limits mistakes. Additionally, he is a Champions League winner so he knows what it takes to win that prestigious trophy.

How does he play?

     Bradley Barcola is a modern, explosive, high energy winger. He is renowned for his elite acceleration, vertical movement and superb playmaking vision. He is at his peak during rapid counter attacks and he uses his 6'1 height to burst past defenders and makes rapid vertical runs out of possession that stretch teams, allowing for more space to attack. Another key attribute to his game is his stop start dribbling. Unlike other wingers who use skills and footwork to bypass defenders, Barcola relies on tempo shifts and raw pace and aggression to beat his man. He does this by stopping the ball out wide, lets the defender come on to him, then quickly beats him with speed leaving the defender isolated and then runs into open space, where he will normally shoot or cross it into the box. He is an excellent playmaker and sees passes little players can. When he beats a defender or reaches the byline, he has the ability to cut it back or cross it in for incoming central runners. He combines this with top level shooting from inside the box. If needby, he has the skills to slow the game down and control the attacking tempo of the game. This is useful as it can allow for more players to come into the box or he if they are trying to waste time and see the game out, he can take the ball to the corner. However, he sometimes has issues breaking down low blocks and this could be problematic but he is still young and his teammates and coaches can help him with that.

Does his style fit in well with Iraola's tactics?

    Under new gaffer Andoni Iraola, Bradley Barcola will be a flawless fit in the managers high octane, counter pressing tactical blueprint. Iraola's teams are renowned for rapidly going forward with blinding pace. Bradley Barcola does just that. He has an average maximum sprint speed of 36.72kph, making him one of the fastest players in the Champions League. In addition, he isolates players out wide, meaning he can get into more space and his vertical runs that stretch opponents allow more space for these blistering attacks to get into. Despite the fact he is a winger, he is known to help out defensively. Under Iraola, high pressing is non-negotiable and Barcola is frequently seen wining the ball in attack. This therefore results in a disorganised defense for him and his team to run into to create chances.

Image Bryan Berlin, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

What are his other options?

    Despite Liverpool bidding for him, many other clubs are interested in signing him. These include Premier League champions Arsenal and Manchester United. However, these clubs probably won't suit him as well as Liverpool would, especially Arsenal. This is because Arsenal have many star wingers with the likes of Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka, with more wingers expected to arrive in North London in the coming weeks. Additionally, Arsenals's build up play and overall style is more passive and less suited to Barcola's style. At United, Carrick wants his wingers to slow the tempo down, which Barcola most certainly dosent do. Additionally, he has issues breaking down a low block, which teams play against these 2 sides and he won't get the best out of his game at United or Arsenal.

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