Andoni Iraola has made it clear that Liverpool F.C. still need more signings before the new season gets fully under way, with the new head coach warning that squad depth will be tested by a busier schedule, frequent midweek games and a difficult winter period.
Iraola, speaking in his first press conference since arriving at Liverpool after replacing Arne Slot, said the club had already signed two players but that more were still required. His point was simple: the work is not finished, and the demands of the season mean it cannot be left to a thin group.
“Obviously, we have signed two players already but we need more players. We know this. The club is working on this,” he said.
The squad depth issue is immediate
The size of the challenge is part of why Iraola has pushed the point so early. He said Liverpool will not enjoy many clean weeks once the season begins, with midweek fixtures expected to become routine and December and January already marked out as especially difficult months.
“It is a big challenge for me. It is a big change. Here, most weeks we will not have a clean week, we will have a midweek game, but it is a great opportunity,” he said.
That is the reality of a club expected to compete on several fronts. Iraola also underlined how hard that becomes if the squad is too small. “It is impossible to deal with this kind of season with 15 players. You need the squad,” he said.
For Liverpool, that is not just a theoretical point. The club have already lost important players, and Iraola accepted the scale of the problem in blunt terms. “We have to accept the difficult situation right now. A lot of senior players leaving, very important players. Also, some of the very important players are injured,” he said.
Injuries have changed the picture
Iraola specifically named Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley and Geovanni Leoni as long-term absentees. He added that Liverpool must consider replacing players who were delivering important numbers as well as those who will miss significant time.
“Ekitike, Bradley and Leoni. They are long-term injuries. In terms of improving the team, we have to consider replacing important players who were making important numbers and the players who will be missing time,” he said.
He also made clear that he sees those absences as a squad issue rather than a short-term inconvenience. “The three players, I love them. They are long-term solutions but we have to try and find solutions,” he said.
That leaves Liverpool with work still to do before the season reaches its hardest stretch. The club have already brought in Jeremy Jacquet and Victor Munoz, but Iraola’s message was that two arrivals are not enough if the aim is to handle a campaign with midweek games, injuries and the pressure of competing at the top level.
For Iraola, the task is as much about managing the reality of a long season as it is about coaching performances. He said he wants to remain the same coach, while accepting he will make mistakes along the way. The bigger test, though, may be whether Liverpool can give him the numbers he believes he needs before the fixture list becomes relentless.
