Why Blockbuster Singing Bradley Barcola Faces Delayed Liverpool Debut

Liverpool fans face an uncertain wait over when they might see Bradley Barcola take to the field for the first time since his $166 million (£123 million) transfer from Paris Saint-Germain.

Barcola became the second most expensive player in Liverpool history when a deal worth an initial $143.1 million (£106 million) was completed. The young Frenchman was one of the best dual-threat wingers in Europe at PSG, registering 22 goals and 22 assists in 2024–25, before the arrival of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia started eating into his minutes.

Even though Barcola’s primary position is on the left flank, there is hope that he will take over Mohamed Salah’s role in the team. But there is a catch, at least in the short term.

Barcola hasn’t played since replacing former teammate Désiré Doué at halftime of France’s 6–4 defeat to England in the World Cup third place match on July 18. He was not involved in PSG’s preseason due to a delayed summer vacation, before taking a place on the bench only for the UEFA Super Cup on his return. He then was left out of the club’s first three Ligue 1 matches.

Barcola Lacks Match Practice

Bradley Barcola in PSG training — Barcola missed preseason and has only trained. | LOU BENOIST/AFP/Getty Images

By late July, Barcola’s desire to join Liverpool was clear. At that stage, the clubs still needed to negotiate a transfer fee, with PSG’s initial valuation set at a much higher £145 million ($195.7 million). But it also served to exclude him from Luis Enrique’s match plans. He has brought unprecedented success to Paris by putting the team first and it was “committed players” only in his lineup.

With no preseason and no matches under his belt, Barcola is behind schedule. “Fitness wise he’s not ready to even play I think a few minutes in the Premier League,” French soccer expert Julien Laurens bluntly spelled out during an appearance on Sky Sports News.

“So they will need to work on his fitness before he’s able to play first-team football.”

Barcola himself has a slightly different view, telling the in-house LFCTV that he thinks he can start playing “as soon as possible.” But then he was never realistically going to introduce himself to his new club and its fans by openly putting doubt on his availability.

“I worked hard during the holidays,” Barcola said. “I did everything I could to stay fit as much as possible, so I feel ready already. I think the coach or the medical team will take time, but honestly I think I’m ready to help the team as soon as possible.”

Barcola Concerns Not Like Isak Problems

The more pessimistic Liverpool fans may cast their minds back to last September when Alexander Isak had just completed a club-record transfer from Newcastle United. The Swede lacked fitness and proceeded to struggle until he broke his leg in December, missing the next four months. It basically cost him a year of his career, as Liverpool went backwards fast waiting for him to come good. But the situation was quite different.

Isak, you will recall, was effectively on strike at Newcastle trying to force his way out. He refused to train in preseason and ended up working by himself for several weeks. Barcola, although not playing for PSG while he awaited a transfer agreement, has still been training as normal.

Every case is different, but for reference, Isak debuted as a substitute 19 days after his transfer was completed. There had also been an international break in that window, which isn’t the case this time due to FIFA’s new international calendar linking the September and October breaks.

There will be plenty of opportunities for Barcola, depending on his fitness, to debut before club soccer is put on hold. Liverpool have five games across three competitions in the next 18 days, starting with Friday’s lengthy roundtrip to Ipswich Town. The Champions League will begin the following Wednesday, with two more Premier League fixtures and a Carabao Cup tie coing as well.

Liverpool’s Next Five Matches—Up to International Break

Date	Fixture	Competition
Sept. 4, 2026	Ipswich vs. Liverpool	Premier League
Sept. 9, 2026	Liverpool vs. Atlético Madrid	Champions League
Sept. 12, 2026	Liverpool vs. Fulham	Premier League
Sept. 15, 2026	Liverpool vs. Tottenham	Carabao Cup
Sept. 20, 2026	Bournemouth vs. Liverpool	Premier League

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