Alan Shearer expects Bradley Barcola to become a fan favorite at Anfield — and he believes Liverpool could have the “complete” player on its hands with the Frenchman.
Barcola has made five appearances since joining the Reds from Paris Saint-Germain in a deal that could be worth around $165 million. He is yet to get off the mark in terms of goals or assists, although two of his outings have come from the bench with Liverpool already in winning positions.
The 24-year-old will be under some pressure to deliver at Anfield, having arrived following the departure of club legend Mohamed Salah, and with his price tag bringing some lofty expectations with it.
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Although some pundits haven’t been all that convinced by his start at Liverpool, Newcastle and England legend Shearer likes what he has seen, and feels Barcola needs just one thing to announce himself in the Premier League.
“When Barcola started last week against Fulham, I thought he was brilliant,” Shearer told Betfair.
“There is no doubt he's got huge ability. He needs to add more goals to his game to be complete. But in terms of excitement and getting people off their seat, he'll do that in abundance.”
Having started against Bournemouth on Sunday, Barcola will now link up with France again for the international break after impressing during the summer’s World Cup.
Reds fans will be hoping to see similar performances on Merseyside soon, and Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola is confident that, given more time, Barcola will prove his worth.
"With Bradley, the more time he plays the better he will become,” Iraola said in a recent press conference. “He came straight away without pre-season minutes, but in a good shape.
"Like all the signings coming from other leagues, he'll need some time to adjust to the rhythm of the Premier League, but he is very used to playing high-level games, and I see him in a good place."
Liverpool.com says: It hopefully won’t take too long for Barcola to settle in at Liverpool, although you can understand why some might be a bit wary of talking him up too soon, given what the Reds went through with Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz last season.
The early signs are relatively encouraging for the Frenchman, and had he converted the brilliant chance he had against Atletico Madrid, we’d perhaps already be saying that he’s found his feet.
Hopefully, he can build up a bit more playing time and confidence with France over the international break, and then the Reds can reap the rewards afterward.