The Barcola deal is done, but the squad still has gaps

Liverpool have moved decisively to land Bradley Barcola, with an outline agreement in place for the France international winger after talks through Wednesday night. The deal carries a guaranteed fee of just over £100m, rising to around £120m with add-ons, serious money that signals exactly how seriously the club is taking the rebuild of their attack following Mohamed Salah's departure this summer. Barcola had been Liverpool's primary transfer target throughout the window, and getting him over the line is a significant moment.

But landing the headline act doesn't mean the job is done. That's the view of former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock, who has been casting his eye over the squad and reckons there are at least two more areas that need addressing before anyone should feel comfortable about the depth available for a campaign on multiple fronts.

Where Warnock sees the holes

Spoken to Rekatochklart.com, Warnock was precise about where the gaps lie. "I think they still need a right-back to compete in that position," he said. "Conor Bradley is still not fully fit. I think at centre-half, they're probably covered now with (Jeremy) Jacquet and (Ronald) Araujo, and you've got (Giovanni) Leoni to come back in a couple of months' time. It seems like he's getting integrated back. But I think you need a specialist right-back."

Midfield is the other area giving Warnock cause for concern. "I think Liverpool were light in midfield last year, even with four midfielders," he said. "It looked like they were really struggling with the amount of football that they were playing." It's a fair point. The demands of a full Premier League season, a European campaign, and the domestic cups have a way of exposing any squad that lacks genuine depth in the engine room, and Warnock clearly doesn't think what's there right now is enough.

Warnock's verdict on the new manager

Warnock has warm words for Andoni Iraola, whose appointment has generated real optimism around the club. "From what I've seen from Iraola, I love his calmness, his approach to the game. I don't think he goes away from his values and what he is," he said. "I think he's strong-minded mentally and when he goes into the changing room, I don't think he will be sort of in awe of being at Liverpool. I think he's got the strong mentality to deal with that."

The positive energy filtering out from the squad has not gone unnoticed either. "I think the great thing is that all the noise coming out of Liverpool, with the players, is ultra-positive. They're buying into what he wants and what he's trying to achieve. I think that energy is back around the football club, which was desperately needed," Warnock added. That kind of buy-in from the dressing room is worth its weight in gold at the start of any new chapter.

'Don't undersell him'

For all the positivity, Warnock's message to the club's decision-makers is pointed and direct. Iraola deserves the tools to do the job properly, and cutting corners now would be a false economy. "Don't undersell him. That's the big thing," he said. "If you're going to get a new manager through the door, give him the tools to be successful. Don't undersell him and suddenly say we've got the wrong man for the job. You got rid of a few senior players, you've gotta go and back him now."

It's hard to argue with that logic. Barcola is a statement of intent, but a statement on its own doesn't win trophies. If Liverpool can add the right-back cover and the midfield reinforcement Warnock is calling for before the window shuts, Iraola will have genuine reason to feel backed, and supporters will have genuine reason to feel excited about what's coming.