Published Jul 27, 2026, 7:10 AM GMT+1

Ethan is a feature and opinion journalist at Football FanCast.

He studied Football Journalism at the University of Derby, undertaking roles such as media assistant for Non-League side Mickleover Sports and EFL reporter for VAVEL.

Upon graduating in 2023, Ethan spent six months at GRV Media as a Premier League journalist, before joining FootballFanCast in February 2024.

Ethan is an avid Nottingham Forest supporter and season ticket holder, who also holds a keen interest in Formula One.

He covers a host of sides from Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, to Leeds and clubs across the Midlands such as Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa. He particularly enjoys producing analytical content.

Arne Slot was handed a mammoth £450m war chest last summer, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Dutchman in the managerial role for a third season at Anfield.

Andoni Iraola will now be the beneficiary of the mega spending from FSG in recent times and will have a plethora of top-level talents at his disposal this campaign.

One player in particular endured a stop-start debut campaign at Anfield, with the new boss able to finally kickstart his career after his big-money move last year.

How Iraola can kickstart Alexander Isak's Liverpool career

As part of last summer’s recruitment drive, Liverpool completed the British-record £125m signing of Alexander Isak from Newcastle United - in a deal which was a window-long saga.

The Swedish international was seen as the Reds’ perfect number nine, but his debut campaign on Merseyside was hampered by a leg break which ruled him out for four months.

As a result, the 26-year-old only netted four goals in his 22 appearances throughout 2025/26, but a full pre-season under Iraola’s guidance could be the perfect situation for the centre-forward.

The Spanish boss has showcased he’s capable of getting the best out of the strikers he’s worked with at Bournemouth, as Dominic Solanke secured a £65m move to Tottenham, whilst Eli Kroupi Junior enjoyed a superb breakthrough season last season.

The latter netted 13 goals under Iraola’s guidance last term, which has led to the Frenchman himself being touted with an £85m move away from the Vitality.

As a result, Isak could become the next talisman to work under the former Cherries boss and hugely benefit from his man-management skills on Merseyside.

The £125m investment last summer was undoubtedly a risk, but the player desperately needs an injury-free season to repay the hierarchy’s faith shown in him 12 months ago.

How Liverpool can make Isak unstoppable

Despite the heavy spending at Anfield last summer, FSG are once again preparing to get their chequebook out to help Iraola in his hopes of being a success in the Premier League.

Liverpool owner John W. Henry is pictured before the match

A new attacker appears to be the priority for the new manager this window, which has seen a variety of attackers across Europe being touted with moves to Merseyside.

It appears as though big money could be spent by the hierarchy this summer, with PSG winger Bradley Barcola emerging as the Reds’ number one transfer target.

It’s been reported by talkSPORT that Liverpool have already held preliminary talks with the player’s representatives over the possibility of a summer switch to Anfield.

They also claim that the 23-year-old himself would be open to a move to join Iraola’s side this window, with the French giants demanding at least £145m to sell the attacker.

Such a move would be a club-record for the Reds, but it would hand the new manager an elite-level attacker who could thrive within the final third throughout 2026/27 and beyond.

Barcola’s stats from last season showcase his star quality and demonstrate why he could form a superb partnership with Isak at Anfield in the near future.

The left-winger created a staggering tally of 2.1 chances in Ligue 1 last term, with 0.6 of his chances being defined as big chances within attacking areas.

Both of the aforementioned figures place him in the top 10% of all attackers in Europe’s top-five leagues, which could see Isak be the beneficiary of countless chances on Merseyside.

The PSG star also managed to complete 86% of the passes he attempted in France’s top-division, with 5.7 of his efforts per 90 being made into the final third of the pitch.

Such numbers allowed the youngster to end the recent campaign with eight assists across all competitions - which could see Isak prove why the club spent £125m on his signature.

Whilst it would cost Iraola’s side a club-record fee to land the signature of Barcola, it would be a deal worth every penny with the youngster able to reach the next level in his development at Liverpool.

The Frenchman would no doubt become Iraola’s starting left-winger on Merseyside and would improve the options at the manager’s disposal tenfold.

Should he form a deadly partnership with Isak, it would no doubt hand the Swede the platform he needs to get his career at Anfield back on track in 2026/27.