Three Unsolved Positions That Could Hurt Andoni Iraola in His First Liverpool Season

With the summer transfer window now closed, the focus shifts from what could still happen to what hasn’t been addressed. 

The club have made meaningful additions this summer and Barcola’s arrival brings a new dimension to Iraola’s attack, but areas of the squad still remain noticeably thin.

Below are the key areas of the squad that still feel incomplete and why they matter for the season ahead. 

Liverpool’s lack of a full‑back who can operate on both sides is one of the more surprising gaps left unaddressed this summer. A player who is predominantly a right‑back but comfortable covering the left would have solved multiple problems at once, yet the club never moved for one.

Right now, Liverpool’s full‑back options feel stretched. Jeremie Frimpong is the only senior right‑back available and his confidence looks low after a difficult start. Conor Bradley is injured, and there’s a real possibility that Liverpool may have to write off his season entirely. On the left, Kerkez and Kostas Tsimikas are the options, with Tsimikas entering the final year of his contract.

The lack of depth has already forced Liverpool into uncomfortable solutions. After Frimpong was substituted, Dominik Szoboszlai had to fill in at right‑back. It wasn’t uncomfortable because he can’t do a job there, but because Liverpool are already light in midfield without having to pull midfielders into full-back. 

Signing a full‑back that can cover both sides this summer would have eased the load on Frimpong, protected Bradley’s recovery and prevented midfielders from being dragged into full-back for this season. It also would have set Liverpool up for next season, when Tsimikas’ contract expires and the club will otherwise need to enter the market for a left‑back.

The type of player I’m talking about and the profile Liverpool should have looked at is a player like Neco Williams, who Steven Gerrard even highlighted before the game against Nottingham Forest that Liverpool should have never let Williams go. Or Djed Spence, who has just moved to Inter Milan for £30 million, fits that mould perfectly.

A defensive midfielder is the position everyone has been talking about all summer, yet it’s the one Liverpool never truly looked close to addressing. There were links here and there, but nothing strong or advanced and even the early interest in Adam Wharton faded once Arne Slot was relieved of his duties. For a role that has been a clear weakness for over a year, the lack of movement is surprising.

The need for a proper No.6 has only grown after watching Liverpool in pre‑season and especially in the game against Newcastle, where both goals came from the opposition cutting through midfield far too easily.

Liverpool have real quality in the centre of the pitch, but almost all of it is forward‑thinking. Ryan Gravenberch joined as a box‑to‑box midfielder, even though he did well as a No.6 under Slot during the title‑winning season. Dominik Szoboszlai has spent much of his career as a No.10 and naturally wants to push on. Alexis Mac Allister has also played as a No.10 and is always looking to progress the ball. Then there’s Trey Nyoni, who impressed in pre‑season and did well off the bench against Forest and while he looks like he’ll get more minutes this year, but he’s still very young.

Liverpool have midfielders who can fill in deeper, but not one who naturally specialises in sitting in front of the back four and controlling the game from that position. 

The type of midfielder Liverpool should have been targeting is a Xabi Alonso‑type rather than a Mascherano-type, someone who sits in front of the back four, dictates the tempo, protects the defence and keeps the structure intact. The reason I highlight Alonso is because he offered control and quality on the ball. He could shield the back line while also progressing play. That’s very different from a pure destroyer like Javier Mascherano, who excelled at breaking things up but wasn’t the same kind of passer or controller. 

Someone who reads the game, positions themselves intelligently and gives Liverpool the stability they’ve lacked since Fabinho’s departure.

Liverpool struggled to score goals last season, dropping from scoring 86 goals in the title‑winning campaign to just 63. The club have strengthened the wide areas with Bradley Barcola and Victor Munoz. 

On the wings, Liverpool look fully stocked with Barcola, Munoz, Cody Gakpo and Ngumoha providing Liverpool real depth and variety. In that part of the pitch, nothing needs addressing.

The issue lies through the middle.

Right now, Alexander Isak is the only fully fit striker in the squad, with Hugo Ekitike out until the new year. 

And while Isak is an elite forward, his injury record isn’t spotless. Last season he was unlucky with the setback against Tottenham, but it still highlights the risk of relying on him as the lone No.9. Even in the best‑case scenario, Isak staying injury‑free all year, Liverpool can’t expect him to play every game. If the club want to fight on all fronts, which we should, he will need rest, rotation and protection. Overplaying him would only lead to fatigue, and that’s when you stop seeing the best version of him.

Ekitike’s injury makes this even more significant. Similar to Conor Bradley’s situation, Liverpool cannot afford to be in a position where they’re rushing him back because Isak needs a break or picks up a knock. That’s not sustainable for a team competing in the Premier League, Europe and domestic cups.

And to be clear, the forward Liverpool needed wasn’t necessarily a traditional No.9. The ideal profile would have been a versatile attacker, someone who can play centrally to good effect but also cover the wing when required. A player who gives you flexibility now and still fits once Ekitike returns.

Someone like Ferran Torres would have been perfect, who’s just moved to Paris Saint-Germain, and he’s exactly the type of forward who can play up front but also operate naturally out wide. When Ekitike is back, Torres could have shifted to the wing without disrupting the structure of the team.

Liverpool do have Federico Chiesa, but this is his third season at the club and he hasn’t shown enough to convince anyone he can fill that role consistently. 

Jayden Danns looks set to stay with the first team this season and has real potential, but with his injury record, he isn’t someone you can rely on as a backup right now. If he can stay injury‑free, that becomes a bonus.

Liverpool needed one more forward. Someone who could support Isak, protect Ekitike’s recovery and add flexibility across the front line. Without that signing, the squad feels one attacker short.

A rebuild was always going to be required. Not just because key players left, but because the club has undergone a complete managerial shift. Moving from Arne Slot to Andoni Iraola changes everything. Slot preferred working with a tight core of around 14 players and often didn’t make full use of his squad. Iraola is the opposite. He relies on rotation, trusts squad players and demands a bigger group to execute his high‑intensity style.

That’s the other major difference. Liverpool have gone from Slot’s more controlled, less physically demanding football to Iraola’s aggressive, high‑energy system. Naturally, that requires more depth.

This doesn’t mean Liverpool can’t still have a good season. The players brought in are high‑quality additions who improve the starting XI. But the reality is that Liverpool are three players light if they want to challenge on all fronts.