Liverpool’s summer transfer window is finally closed.
The rumours are over.
The deadline-day drama is finished.
And we can finally look at Liverpool’s business as a whole and decide whether the club actually gave Andoni Iraola the squad he needs.
For me, the answer is not quite.
There are some hugely exciting players coming through the door, but there are also some glaring omissions.
So despite the excitement surrounding Bradley Barcola, Victor Muñoz and the other additions, I’m giving Liverpool’s summer transfer window just 4/10.
And I know that might sound harsh.
But hear me out.
Let’s look at every addition
Liverpool’s 2026 recruitment has brought in a mixture of established talent, exciting youngsters and players for the future.
🇫🇷 Jérémy Jacquet — Rennes → Liverpool
🇪🇸 Victor Muñoz — Osasuna → Liverpool | £34.5m
🇺🇾 Ronald Araújo — Barcelona → Liverpool | Loan
🇫🇷 Bradley Barcola — PSG → Liverpool | £106m rising to around £123m
🇧🇪 Lucca Brughmans — Genk → Liverpool | around £30m, arriving in 2027
🇫🇷 Djylian N’Guessan — Saint-Étienne → Liverpool | around £4.3m
There is certainly talent there.
And Barcola alone gives Liverpool supporters something incredibly exciting to look forward to.
But transfer windows aren’t judged simply by the quality of the players you sign.
They’re judged by whether you’ve built a balanced squad.
That’s where I have my doubts.
Barcola is a fantastic signing
Let’s start with the obvious positive.
Bradley Barcola is exactly the type of player Liverpool needed.
He’s quick.
He’s direct.
He’s capable of beating defenders.
He can create something out of nothing.
And after watching Liverpool struggle at times to provide enough service to Alexander Isak, having another player capable of carrying the ball forward and creating chances could be hugely important.
The reported deal could reach around £123m, making Barcola one of the biggest signings in Liverpool’s history.
I absolutely love the signing.
But there is one problem.
Liverpool needed more than one attacker.
Muñoz gives Liverpool another option
Victor Muñoz is another exciting addition.
The Spanish winger arrived from Osasuna for around £34.5m and gives Iraola another young attacking option.
He’s direct, energetic and has already shown that he isn’t afraid to take responsibility.
I like the signing.
But again, Liverpool have lost Mohamed Salah.
And while Muñoz can help compensate for that loss, he cannot realistically be expected to replace everything Salah gave Liverpool.
Araújo could prove extremely important
Ronald Araújo is another player I really like.
Liverpool have brought him in from Barcelona on loan, giving Iraola an experienced and versatile defender.
Considering the defensive problems we’ve already seen, Araújo could be extremely useful.
He can play centre-back and provide cover in other defensive positions.
That’s valuable.
But it’s also worth remembering that a loan doesn’t solve Liverpool’s long-term problems.
And it certainly doesn’t answer my biggest question at right-back.
Jacquet is Konate’s replacement at the moment.
Jérémy Jacquet is another exciting young defender who has been added to the squad.
Liverpool clearly see enormous potential in him.
He’s another example of the club investing in young players who could become important for years to come.
But once again, I have to separate potential from immediate squad needs.
Liverpool aren’t simply building for 2028.
They are trying to compete now.
🇧🇪 Brughmans and 🇫🇷 N’Guessan are exciting projects
Lucca Brughmans is clearly a long-term investment.
Liverpool have agreed a reported £30m deal for the Genk goalkeeper, with the youngster remaining at Genk before joining Liverpool in 2027.
Then there’s Djylian N’Guessan.
The young Saint-Étienne forward is another relatively low-cost gamble on a player who could develop into something special.
I have no problem with either signing.
In fact, I like them.
But neither player fixes one of the problems Liverpool have right now.
And that’s the issue.
No defensive midfielder
This is the biggest omission for me.
Liverpool needed another defensive midfielder.
I don’t necessarily mean they needed to go out and find another Fabinho.
But they needed somebody capable of giving the team greater protection when possession is lost.
We’ve already seen Liverpool become vulnerable through the middle.
When the attack breaks down, there can be too much space in front of the defence.
That puts pressure on the centre-backs.
It exposes the full-backs.
And it makes Liverpool vulnerable on the counter.
Maybe Iraola can solve that tactically.
Maybe he believes his midfielders are capable of providing the necessary balance.
But I still think Liverpool should have added another player in that position.
They didn’t.
And that’s a huge reason why I’m giving this window 4/10.
No right-back
This is another one that really bothers me.
Liverpool needed another right-back.
Frimpong can be devastating going forward, but there are defensive concerns.
And if he gets injured or suspended, the options become limited.
Araújo can provide cover, but he’s not a specialist solution to the problem.
Over a season involving the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup, Liverpool are going to need depth.
I don’t think they have enough at right-back.
Salah hasn’t been replaced
Then there’s the biggest departure.
Mohamed Salah has left Liverpool.
And I’m not convinced Liverpool have properly replaced him.
Barcola is brilliant.
I genuinely believe he could become a superstar.
But replacing Salah isn’t simply about signing another winger.
Salah gave Liverpool goals.
Assists.
Experience.
Consistency.
Big-game moments.
And an incredible number of appearances.
Liverpool have to hope Barcola, Gakpo, Muñoz and the other attacking players collectively make up for what has been lost.
That could happen.
But it’s a huge gamble.
Ekitike’s absence makes the striker situation even more worrying
Then there’s another issue that has become impossible to ignore.
Hugo Ekitike is out long term.
That leaves Alexander Isak as Liverpool’s main recognised striker.
And just to be clear, Isak is not a 2026 summer signing. He arrived last summer.
But that doesn’t change the fact that Liverpool needed to consider his backup when planning this window.
What happens if Isak gets injured?
What happens if he needs a rest?
What happens if he is suspended?
Liverpool are competing on multiple fronts.
They need options.
I would have liked to see another striker brought in.
Instead, Liverpool have gone into the season with a significant amount of responsibility resting on Isak.
Spending money isn’t the same as completing the squad
This is probably the biggest point I want to make.
Nobody can say Liverpool haven’t spent money.
Barcola alone represents an enormous investment.
Muñoz cost significant money.
Jacquet was another major investment.
Brughmans is a huge fee for a teenage goalkeeper.
But I don’t judge a transfer window by the amount spent.
I judge it by the squad left behind.
And when I look at Liverpool’s squad, I see some brilliant players.
But I also see holes.
No defensive midfielder.
No specialist right-back.
No direct replacement for Salah.
No adequate backup for Isak while Ekitike is unavailable.
Those are four significant concerns.
Iraola has been left with a difficult job
And this is why I feel for Iraola.
He’s been given some fantastic players.
But he’s also been given a squad that isn’t perfect.
He now has to find ways of making it work.
Maybe he gets the midfield balance right.
Maybe Frimpong stays fit.
Maybe Barcola immediately explodes into Premier League life.
Maybe Isak stays fit for the entire season.
Maybe Gakpo produces his best-ever numbers.
Maybe one of the youngsters becomes a genuine first-team option.
I hope all of those things happen.
But Liverpool shouldn’t need everything to go perfectly.
My final rating: 4/10
So, after looking at every addition, my rating remains:
Liverpool: 4/10
It’s not because I dislike the signings.
Quite the opposite.
I’m incredibly excited about Barcola.
I like Muñoz.
I like Araújo.
I think Jacquet has huge potential.
Brughmans could be an excellent long-term investment.
And N’Guessan is another exciting gamble.
But Liverpool’s transfer window wasn’t simply about finding talented players.
It was about giving a new manager the tools to compete.
And I don’t think they’ve done that.
They’ve signed some fantastic players.
They just haven’t completed the squad.
That’s the difference.
Now the window is closed.
There are no more transfers to fix these problems.
It’s down to Iraola.
And, ultimately, the players Liverpool have given him.
I really hope I’m wrong.
Because if Barcola becomes the superstar I believe he can be, Muñoz develops quickly, Araújo strengthens the defence and the midfield somehow finds the necessary balance, this Liverpool team could still be incredibly exciting.
But standing here at the end of the transfer window?
4/10 from me.
Liverpool have given us plenty to be excited about.
They’ve also left us with plenty to worry about.
And now we find out whether those concerns were justified.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
Agree we can and should be excited about Barcola, Munoz, Jacquet and Araujo. CBs seems well covered finally, which has been a problem for a few years with injury prone CBs.
RB and LB remain a problem, and critically so does CM. We need a high energy, box to box, hard tackling CM who can play the game. Who that is I’m not sure, but CM is lacking. RW we have options and will have to use them. Munoz can play there and should have as much game time as possible. I see a bit of Suarez in his style of play.
If it gels and we can start getting results, sadly I only see a 3th or 5th finish this year, given the squad isn’t balanced. If it doesn’t quite gel, it could be a 5th to 8th finish, and who knows what happens in the CL, but little chance of the semis or beyond.
Id give the window 5/10 as it’s a job half done. Let’s hope the new investors can do things better than what the sporting directors have recently.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, really appreciated YNWA