Andoni Iraola's Liverpool Transfer Window Challenges

Andoni Iraola has just had his first real taste of life in charge of Liverpool during a transfer window. It was long, tense and, at times, deeply frustrating. Anticipation gave way to anxiety. Big plans met hard reality.

By the time the deadline passed, the 43-year-old had three new senior signings through the door: Victor Munoz, Ronald Araujo and Bradley Barcola. The summer also finally delivered Jeremy Jacquet, whose move was agreed under Arne Slot but only came to fruition under Iraola’s watch.

Yet one glaring issue remained. Liverpool did not land a replacement for Mohamed Salah on the right wing. For a club of their scale, that gap loomed large over everything else they did.

Even so, the story of this window may not be finished.

Minteh chase not over

Yankuba Minteh was the man Iraola wanted to fill that vacancy. Liverpool pushed hard. Brighton pushed back harder.

The Seagulls turned down offers of £50 million and £60 million for the 22-year-old, refusing to blink as the clock ticked down. Minteh stayed at the Amex Stadium and Liverpool went into the season without the right-sided forward they had clearly prioritised.

Now, though, Iraola has a fresh sliver of hope.

Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler has openly suggested that Minteh’s future could come back into play in January. Speaking about the Gambian international, the 33-year-old said:

"If the whole team is successful and the individual shines then Yankuba will get a lot of attention again and he can then maybe fulfil his dream in the next transfer window."

Those words will not have gone unnoticed at Anfield. For a manager still searching for his long-term solution on the right, they sound like an invitation to return to the table when the winter market opens.

N’Guessan deal sealed after the chaos

While the Barcola saga and the frenzy of Deadline Day left many Liverpool supporters spinning, the club quietly lined up another move once the dust settled.

After the September 1 cut-off, Liverpool confirmed an agreement to sign highly rated Saint-Etienne forward Djylian N'Guessan. The deal, officially announced on Friday, will see the 18-year-old join permanently in January in a £4.3 million transfer.

Liverpool have already mapped out his immediate pathway. N'Guessan will spend the 2026/27 campaign on loan at Ligue 1 side Stade Brestois, a move designed to harden him in a top-flight environment before he competes for a place on Merseyside.

N'Guessan has made 13 senior appearances for Saint-Etienne, scoring once, and featured seven times for France at the U20 World Cup last year as they finished fourth. He arrives as one for tomorrow rather than today, but his signing underlines a wider theme of Iraola’s first window: short-term gaps, long-term bets.

Liverpool still need to solve the Salah-sized hole on their right flank. January, and the Minteh question, now looms large over Iraola’s early reign.