Thierry Henry has given Liverpool supporters something worth thinking about when it comes to Bradley Barcola.
The former Arsenal and France striker has warned that it will take time for Barcola to settle at Liverpool following his huge move from Paris Saint-Germain.
And honestly, I think he’s right.
Barcola arrived at Anfield for an initial £106m, with the deal potentially rising to £123m, so nobody is going to pretend there isn’t pressure on him. He has also arrived with a huge reputation after winning the Champions League with PSG and representing France at the World Cup.
But there is a big difference between having a slow start and being a bad signing.
I think some people need to remember that.
Barcola hasn’t suddenly forgotten how to play football
Barcola is only 23 and has spent the majority of his senior career in France.
He has now moved from PSG to Liverpool, from Ligue 1 to the Premier League, and into a completely different tactical environment under Andoni Iraola.
That’s a lot of change.
He also isn’t walking into a Liverpool team that has everything perfectly settled around him. The attack is still being worked out, there have been injuries and Iraola is still learning exactly how to get the best out of his squad.
So I’m not going to judge Barcola too harshly because he hasn’t immediately started scoring every week.
We’ve already seen glimpses of what he can offer.
His pace is obvious. He wants to run at defenders, he can play on either side and he has the ability to carry the ball over distance. At PSG last season he scored 13 goals and provided seven assists in 49 appearances.
Those qualities haven’t disappeared because he’s moved to England.
Henry’s warning makes sense
Henry knows better than most what it is like to move from France to the Premier League with enormous expectations.
And that’s probably why his comments caught my attention.
Barcola isn’t just adapting to English football. He’s also dealing with the price tag.
Every time he doesn’t score, somebody will mention the £123m.
Every time he misses a chance, somebody will ask whether Liverpool paid too much.
Every quiet performance will be compared with what he did at PSG.
That’s football now.
But Barcola cannot control the transfer fee.
Liverpool agreed to pay it because they believed he was worth it.
The player simply needs time to settle.
I still think there is a lot to come from him
For me, the most exciting thing is that we’ve already seen enough to know why Liverpool wanted him.
His performance against Atlético Madrid showed flashes of the player Liverpool thought they were buying, while he also created a promising opening alongside Florian Wirtz before the chance went wide. Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy has also pointed to his match fitness as something that still needs to improve.
That’s important.
We’re talking about a player who is still getting used to his new surroundings and hasn’t yet reached full rhythm.
I would much rather give him time than start putting ridiculous pressure on him after a handful of appearances.
We’ve done this before.
Liverpool supporters have seen players need time before becoming important players for the club.
And sometimes the best thing you can do with an expensive new signing is simply let him play.
Iraola needs to find the right role for him too
There is another part of this which shouldn’t be ignored.
Barcola is predominantly a left winger, and that’s where he spent most of his Champions League minutes with PSG.
Liverpool have also got Cody Gakpo, who stayed at the club after Manchester City made an £80m offer, while Rio Ngumoha and Victor Muñoz provide further options in the wide areas.
So Iraola has to work out how all these players fit together.
That’s his job.
Barcola shouldn’t have to become a completely different footballer just because Liverpool have several talented attackers.
Get him comfortable.
Get him fit.
Give him minutes.
Then let’s see what happens.
Because I genuinely believe there is a frightening amount of ability there.
I’m not worried about Barcola yet
I’m certainly not going to sit here and tell you that Barcola has already been brilliant for Liverpool.
He hasn’t.
But I’m also not going to start questioning the signing after a few appearances.
The £123m price tag makes the scrutiny inevitable, but it shouldn’t change the way we judge the player.
Thierry Henry says it will take time for Barcola to settle. I think Liverpool supporters should listen to that.
We’ve got a young French winger who has just left one of Europe’s biggest clubs and moved into one of the most demanding leagues in the world.
Let him breathe.
Let him learn.
Let him get properly fit.
And most importantly, let him play.
Because I have a feeling that when Bradley Barcola finally settles into Liverpool, we might look back at these early months and wonder why we were worrying so much.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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