Hope has returned to Anfield since Andoni Iraola was appointed Liverpool head coach in early June. After a successful period with Bournemouth, the Spanish strategist was chosen by The Kop's leadership to open a new cycle, replacing Arne Slot after a disappointing season.
Iraola made a strong impression when he helped Bournemouth win a ticket to the European Cup for the first time in history, thereby being nominated for the Premier League Best Coach award. Despite receiving attention from many teams such as AC Milan, Bayer Leverkusen or Crystal Palace, he decided to accept Liverpool with the goal of bringing the team back into the title race.
At the debut press conference, Iraola affirmed that he would make necessary changes but not lose Liverpool's inherent identity.
We need to change some things, but I don't want to lose the fighting spirit, determination and organization. Those are always the values I want my teams to possess" - the Spanish strategist emphasized.
Immediately after taking over the team, Iraola asked the board of directors to add forces. Up to now, Liverpool has only completed two contracts.
Jeremy Jacquet joined Rennes for a fee of about 63 million Euros to replace Ibrahima Konate, who left Anfield on a free transfer after his contract expired and moved to Real Madrid.
In attack, Liverpool spent 40 million Euros to bring Victor Munoz to Anfield during the 2026 World Cup. However, Iraola admitted that the team still needs at least one more quality winger.
There are very clear positions we need to strengthen, especially wingers. In addition, we also have to assess the market and the players in the squad" - Iraola said.
The departure of Mohamed Salah and Hugo Ekitike's long-term injury have significantly reduced Liverpool's attack. Therefore, names like Yan Diomande and Bradley Barcola continue to be on the target list, although the possibility of completing these deals is still open.
In defense, the space left by Konate is also a big problem. However, Liverpool has no plans to recruit more midfielders while they still have Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Giovanni Leoni and rookie Jacquet.
The two wings of the "Red Brigade" also need to be improved. Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong have not created peace of mind on the right wing, while Milos Kerkez is expected to become the number one choice on the left flank after the departure of Andy Robertson.
Another important task of Iraola is to help Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak regain their form after a first season that did not meet expectations.
Liverpool spent about 270 million Euros to recruit this duo in the summer of 2025. However, Wirtz only scored 7 goals and had 10 assists after 49 matches, while Isak was heavily affected by injury and only played for more than 1,000 minutes.
Iraola said he will work separately with Wirtz, Isak and Ryan Gravenberch when all three return after the World Cup to help them quickly regain their fitness and best form.
Liverpool also had a favorable start under the new coach when they defeated Sunderland 4-2 in the first friendly match of the summer.
Morrison, Dominik Szoboszlai, Federico Chiesa and Koumas are the scorers, while many young players from the academy continue to impress. That is considered the first positive sign for the rebuilding journey that Iraola is starting at Anfield.
