Andoni Iraola outlines Bradley Barcola debut plan for Liverpool vs Ipswich after £123m transfer

Bradley Barcola is finally a Liverpool player after a long summer transfer saga. The 24-year-old signed from Paris Saint-Germain in a deal worth up to £123 million (£106 million upfront plus £17 million in add-ons), and he's in line to make his debut tonight off the bench as Liverpool kick off the Premier League weekend away at Ipswich Town.

If you were hoping to see him in the starting lineup, you'll have to wait. His last competitive game was for France in their wild 6-4 defeat to England back on July 18, meaning he hasn't played a single minute of pre-season.

Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola explained to Sky Sports why he's holding the forward back:

"I was tempted to start him. He's looked good in training but he hasn't played any minutes in pre-season. He's ready, I think definitely we will use him in the second half. But we take caution because we don't want to lose him straight away. So the next step is to have him on the bench."

Iraola also gave a little insight into how the new signing is settling in behind the scenes:

"He's a smart player, understands the game. He's quite shy, doesn't speak a lot and is improving his English. He is more comfortable with Jeremy Jacquet and Hugo Ekitike, his friends."

The team news

Iraola has kept his wingers the same as last weekend's 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest. Cody Gakpo stays on the right—despite strong summer interest from Manchester City—while new boy Victor Munoz keeps his spot on the left.

Liverpool Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Araujo, van Dijk, Jacquet, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, Mac Allister; Gakpo, Wirtz, Munoz; Isak.

Substitutes: Mamardashvili, Frimpong, Endo, Tsimikas, Gravenberch, Nyoni, Koumas, Ngumoha, and Barcola.

Ipswich make just one change from their loss at Old Trafford, bringing in Palacios for Nunez.

The bigger picture

Liverpool are still chasing their first win under Iraola after drawing their opening two matches against Newcastle and Nottingham Forest. They'll be hoping history repeats itself tonight: Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 20 Premier League games against newly promoted sides, and they've never lost an away league match at Portman Road (W4, D2).

Kick-off is just moments away, and Barcola is waiting in the wings to make his first splash in red.