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Football Today

·28 July 2026

Football Today

·28 July 2026

Liverpool produced encouraging signs of their quality as they beat Sunderland 4-2 in their first official friendly before the 2026-27 season on Saturday.

Sunderland defender Dan Ballard said after the match that the influence of new manager Andoni Iraola was already visible, built around the way his Bournemouth side played last season.

Iraola’s team were too strong for the Black Cats, but the match also gave him some obvious warning signs, especially about the makeup of his squad.

The Reds have made only one senior signing this summer, bringing in Spain international Victor Munoz from Osasuna.

They have not been especially active in the transfer market, and they still have about a month to improve the squad.

The 2024-25 Premier League champions will do themselves a major disservice if they fail to add a centre-back and a new winger before the transfer window shuts.

Iraola was left puzzled against Sunderland when Joe Gomez went off injured after just eight minutes.

He was paired with teenage centre-back Mor Talla Ndiaye, and then replaced by another teenager, Ifeanyi Ndukwe.

Liverpool lost Ibrahima Konate on a free transfer earlier this summer, and club captain Virgil van Dijk has only just returned to Merseyside after his FIFA World Cup involvement.

They were linked with Maxence Lacroix, who now looks likely to end up at Chelsea, while other defensive targets have gone completely cold.

Liverpool would be making a mistake if they put their faith in youngsters Giovanni Leoni and Jeremy Jacquet to partner van Dijk for most of their 2026-27 campaign.

Both centre-backs are still working back to full fitness after long injury absences.

Neither player will be ready straight away for the demands of Premier League football and both need to be introduced gradually.

The club must bring in an experienced centre-back this summer, especially with Gomez injured.

Iraola spoke in his first press conference in the United States about the need to sign a new winger.

Supporters may be satisfied with the arrival of Munoz and Federico Chiesa’s apparent wish to stay at the club beyond this summer, but the club still needs a new winger.

With Hugo Ekitike set to miss a significant part of the season because of an Achilles injury he suffered last season, most of the goalscoring responsibility will rest on Alexander Isak’s shoulders.

Iraola wants a wide attacker who can make a decisive difference through goals and assists to ease that burden, and the wingers currently at the club are not clinical enough.

None of the current options has ever scored more than ten league goals in a season in any of Europe’s top five leagues.

The Reds have been linked with Bradley Barcola, who scored 25 league goals across the last two seasons combined. They need to reach an agreement for the France international.