A £123m question on the right wing

Bradley Barcola is expected to complete his £123m move from Paris Saint-Germain today, which means he should have a full week on the training pitches at the AXA Centre before Liverpool head to Portman Road on Friday night. The question is whether Andoni Iraola throws him straight into his starting eleven or eases him in from the bench. A week with his new teammates is decent preparation, but debut nights in the Premier League have a habit of arriving faster than anyone plans for.

The answer to that question depends heavily on what happens to Cody Gakpo in the coming days. Should the Netherlands international get his apparent wish and complete a move to Manchester City before Tuesday's deadline, Iraola's hand would effectively be forced. In that scenario, you would back Barcola to start. If Gakpo stays, the head coach has the luxury of bringing his new signing along at his own pace. Either way, Victor Munoz is pressing his case on the right after an eye-catching display against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, while Rio Ngumoha is there as a bench option should cover be needed.

The midfield conundrum Iraola actually wants to have

Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz look set to continue building their understanding as the nine and ten in Iraola's system, which is fast becoming one of the more exciting combinations in the league. Behind them, though, is where it gets genuinely interesting. Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch are essentially level-pegging for two spots in the engine room, with all three having started matches already this season. Whoever misses out will have a genuine grievance, which is exactly the kind of selection headache a manager wants in August.

Szoboszlai offers something else entirely that Iraola might find useful: versatility. With Jeremie Frimpong finding it tough going this term and Conor Bradley still working his way back to full fitness, the Hungary captain's energy and quality on the ball make him a credible option at right-back as a short-term solution. It is not the most conventional use of a midfielder of his quality, but Szoboszlai's tireless running means it is far from a gamble. Trey Nyoni is likely to feature on Friday, though probably as an impact substitute rather than from the off.

Centre-back options and a Gomez update on the horizon

At the back, Jeremy Jacquet looks set to continue alongside Virgil van Dijk after the pair have started to develop a real understanding. Ronald Araujo is ready to step in having come off the bench at Anfield on Saturday for his debut, so Iraola has options there if he wants to rotate or react to any late changes. Giovanni Leoni and Joe Gomez remain on the comeback trail, meaning the manager is working with a settled core whilst keeping competition brewing in the background.

Gomez's situation is worth watching. He limped out of the 4-2 win over Sunderland in Nashville on 26 July and Iraola indicated at the time that the defender would be sidelined for around a month. That timeline would put him somewhere in the vicinity of a return, and an update is expected later this week. A fit Gomez gives Iraola another versatile and experienced head to call upon, and the sooner he is back in the mix the better for everyone at the club. By Friday evening, quite a lot could look very different.