Liverpool's Transfer Needs: Wingers, Midfielders, and Right-Backs
Andoni Iraola has drawn a clear line in the sand: Liverpool will not go into September with this squad.
The new head coach has admitted what every supporter can see – the team is light. Too light for a season that will stretch from late summer into the depths of winter, with domestic and European demands piling up. Reinforcements are not a luxury. They are a necessity.
Wide areas top the shopping list
The most obvious gaps sit on the flanks. Left wing and right wing are the headline priorities, and Liverpool have already moved into serious conversations with PSG over Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye.
Those talks are active, but they are not the only storyline. A £50m bid for Yankuba Minteh has reportedly been turned down, a number that raises eyebrows as much as it raises questions. The sense around the situation is that Liverpool’s interest in Minteh may also serve another purpose: leverage. By pushing a big offer into the public domain, the club can apply pressure on PSG over their valuation of Mbaye, reminding the French champions that Liverpool do have alternatives.
Still, the message is clear. Iraola wants pace, goals and directness out wide. Two new wingers would reshape the attack overnight.
Midfield in flux as Jones heads for the exit
Behind them, the midfield picture is shifting. Curtis Jones is on his way to Inter Milan, and that move changes the arithmetic. Even before his departure, there was a strong feeling inside and outside the club that Iraola needed at least one more midfielder to cope with the sheer volume of fixtures.
If Jones does complete his switch to Serie A, that “one more” becomes non-negotiable. Liverpool will need another body in the middle of the pitch, but not just a body – a player who can handle the tempo Iraola demands and the schedule that awaits.
Adam Wharton is the dream name on that list. The Crystal Palace midfielder would be a statement signing, the kind that instantly raises the technical ceiling of the team. But Palace’s £100m asking price plants a huge barrier in the way. At that level, admiration meets reality very quickly.
Right-back debate refuses to go away
Then there is right-back – a position that never seems far from the debate among supporters.
Ronald Araujo can cover there and do a good job. His versatility is valuable, and Iraola knows he can trust the Uruguayan to step wide when needed. Yet that solution feels like a compromise rather than a plan. It solves one problem while potentially creating another in the centre of defence.
The preference is obvious: a specialist right-back, someone who lives in that channel and understands every inch of it. That is where Hector Fort enters the conversation. The 20-year-old has caught the eye during Liverpool’s scouting work since the club were first linked with a loan move. The sample size is small, but the tools are intriguing – and crucially, he fits the age and profile Liverpool have targeted in recent windows.
Iraola’s promise: business is coming
Pressed directly on the issue by Jamie Carragher in an exclusive Sky Sports interview, Iraola did not duck the question that dominates fan forums and phone-ins: will Liverpool actually sign more players?
His response was decisive.
“We will definitely sign some players. Some deals you have to wait until the end. But the end is the important picture, the one we will have on September 1. Because it is true that we are still quite thin.”
No ambiguity. No attempt to lower expectations. Iraola knows the squad is short and has gone on record to say it will be addressed.
Four signings that would change the mood
So what would a strong window actually look like for Liverpool from here?
Barcola and Mbaye would be the headline acts. Two PSG attackers arriving together would instantly refresh the forward line and give Iraola the kind of depth in wide areas that allows him to rotate without a noticeable drop in quality.
But stopping there would leave the rebuild incomplete.
Add Wharton into the heart of midfield and the picture shifts again. He would offer control, press resistance and long-term upside – the kind of profile Liverpool have targeted in recent years – even if the price tag makes the move a long shot.
Then there is Fort at right-back. A loan deal for the youngster would provide specialist cover, ease the burden on Araujo and give Iraola more tactical freedom across the back line.
Four players. Two wingers, one midfielder, one right-back. That kind of haul would not just pad out the numbers; it would raise the standard of the squad in key zones and give Liverpool a very different feel heading into the 2026/27 Premier League season.
Iraola has promised signings. The question now is whether Liverpool can turn that promise into the kind of window that changes the trajectory of a campaign before a ball has even been kicked.
