Andoni Iraola Faces Nottingham Forest in Premier League Debut at Anfield

Andoni Iraola has barely had time to catch his breath. One wild late comeback at Newcastle, a Champions League draw, a looming Premier League home debut at Anfield – and a nine-figure transfer for Bradley Barcola moving into place in the background.

Liverpool’s new head coach fronted the media at the AXA Training Centre on Thursday with two clear storylines circling: Nottingham Forest, who turned Arne Slot’s Anfield into a hunting ground, and a transfer window that still refuses to sit still.

Barcola, wide areas and a restless market

Liverpool have reached an outline agreement with Paris Saint-Germain for Bradley Barcola, a deal worth more than £100m and potentially rising to around £120m with add-ons based on team and individual success. The structure is in place, the broad numbers agreed, but the finer details are still being worked on.

Iraola would not bite on Barcola’s name. He stuck to the line.

“As you know, we are trying to sign in that position,” he said. “We can’t talk about players who right now aren’t ours. But we are trying to improve and fill that position as we don’t have the numbers. I hope we have good news soon but we are still not there.”

The need out wide is obvious to him. “There are certain things we can do but it’s true we need players in the wide areas,” he admitted. “I’m sure if we can improve other areas we will but I don’t know how the market is going to finish. I have to be patient as well as you. It’s very uncomfortable for me as you are dealing with uncertainties all the time. In four or five days we will know what we have and then we can make proper plans.”

He insists the plan with the club has been clear since he walked through the door, particularly with long-term injuries stretching the squad in specific roles.

“We know from the beginning what we wanted,” he said. “We are probably down a player in some positions due to long-term injuries and those have been our main issues.”

The wider market picture remains fluid. “I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he continued. “Even myself I have to be patient. Then we get to September 2, this is who we have and the options we have, then we can start thinking. For now we don’t know. I have in my head what I want, we’ve been talking since the beginning with the club, they know what we want. It’s about closing the deals.”

Stephen Warnock has already called for more than just Barcola, arguing Liverpool must follow that move with a right-back and a midfielder. Inside the building, Iraola’s tone is more measured, but he doesn’t rule anything out while the window is open.

“When the market is open and we bring in expensive players I cannot guarantee anything,” he said of potential outgoings and incomings. “Our players, I cannot guarantee anything about how many we are going to sign or whatever. Experience tells us that if there’s an opportunity the last day you can do something.”

Forest, Glasner and an Anfield scar that isn’t his

Nottingham Forest arrive at Anfield with recent history on their side. Under Oliver Glasner they won 1-0 in September 2024, just Arne Slot’s second home league game, then dismantled his struggling side 3-0 last November as the Dutchman’s reign unravelled.

Forest have been a “very Tricky Trees” for Liverpool in this fixture. Iraola knows the numbers, but he’s determined they belong to someone else’s story.

He has great respect for Glasner’s work.

“He has been very successful,” Iraola said. “You can see straight away the shape. They don’t concede many chances, against Leeds it was a very tight game which was won with a free-kick in the last minute. We will have to earn every chance, win our duels, nothing is for free. We have to be good on the ball and patient because defensively they are very solid and good and have very good players. In transitions they are good threats on the counter.”

This will be Iraola’s first Premier League match at Anfield, and he doesn’t pretend it’s just another game.

“It’s going to be a special moment for me to have first PL game at Anfield,” he said. “I already felt it in pre-season. I will be thinking of the game but it’s also going to be emotional, it has to be like this as it’s a special place. I hope everything goes well and I enjoy the game.”

Kick-off is the early 12.30pm slot on Saturday. The Basque coach will walk into a stadium that watched Forest bully Slot’s Liverpool twice. His job now is to change that mood.

Midfield heat and defensive balance

If Barcola dominates the transfer headlines, the midfield has driven the debate. Iraola knew that would happen.

“Not surprised,” he said of the reaction. “I expected when I came here that everything would be magnified. I’m starting to understand. But it’s just one game where we did a lot of very good things, even the players in midfield did, but there are definitely things we need to improve. Now it’s a matter of myself and coaching staff and players.”

The goals conceded at Newcastle dragged attention straight onto defensive transitions.

“It’s football. You go to the goals always,” he said. “If you make exactly the same mistake then it’s normal and I understand we have to talk about the defensive transitions. I thought we improved during the game in that aspect, were much much better getting the numbers. I think the first goal is more to blame than the second in terms of how we positioned when we lost the ball. We will soon be talking about something else.”

He refuses to solve the problem by simply stripping away Liverpool’s attacking instincts.

“We don’t want to lose the offensive side, the fluidity, the arrival of numbers, but we were punished the other day,” Iraola admitted. “We have been intently working on it. It’s nothing new, we always want to control that. But there is a balance, we can’t go from one way where we send a lot of people forward to putting everyone back and it looks stale. It’s a matter of identifying the situation. The players who are very good, they smell whether they can take the risk of going or staying, it’s the quality of the player who takes those decisions.”

Ryan Gravenberch is a good example of that dilemma.

“We can’t attack with everyone,” Iraola said. “I don’t want to tell Ryan Gravenberch don’t carry the ball as he scored against Monaco, it came from his pass to Alex. But there is a balance, recognising the situation how we can balance those numbers in those positions. Sometimes you have to accept the players go forward, it isn’t always one stays back and one goes forward. If the opposition are defending deep maybe both can go forward.”

What he saw at St James’ Park gave him encouragement.

“I thought we controlled the game quite well,” he said. “I felt we had meaningful possession, were quite direct in attack. I was feeling good in the game, I felt we were closer to scoring than Newcastle in most part of the game. I felt good things in the first game.”

Gakpo’s form and Jacquet’s first steps

One of the big positives from that draw was Cody Gakpo.

“After performance he had in first game I say the same, he’s playing very well for us,” Iraola said. “He’s been very good since he’s been back from World Cup. The right attitude and I hope we can keep him at that level. He can be very influential on us.”

The coach is honest, though: with major money being spent, nobody is completely ring-fenced.

“When the market is open and we bring in expensive players I cannot guarantee anything,” he repeated. “Experience tells us that if there’s an opportunity the last day you can do something.”

Young defender Jacquet also earned praise after being thrown in for his first game.

“He played very well considering it was his first game,” Iraola said. “It’s true he was tired, we had to sub him as you could feel he was tired in the last five minutes. He is very confident on the ball and good without the ball. Very young, we have to accept he will make mistakes.”

Selection calls: Chiesa, Elliott and the bench balance

There were some notable absentees from the matchday squad. Fede Chiesa is out.

“Fede is not available, in the game against Como he felt something in his back,” Iraola revealed.

Harvey Elliott’s omission was a tactical decision rather than an injury.

“With Harvey and some of the players I can only choose 20,” he explained. “Harvey is trying and improving every week but I still prefer other options, about the balance on the bench. That’s why James McConnell was in the squad, but it’s now another new week and new chances for everyone. They have to keep that mentality.”

A club in motion

Around Iraola, Liverpool’s summer continues to churn. Barcola is close but not done. Other winger options, potential midfield reinforcements, full-back cover, the Champions League draw, the fallout from Newcastle – all of it swirls as Forest loom into view.

The head coach keeps returning to the same point: until the window shuts, he lives with uncertainty.

In four or five days, he says, he will finally know what he has. On Saturday at Anfield, he will start to show what he plans to do with it.