Bradley Barcola to Liverpool
Every transfer window has at least one saga that dominates the headlines. Barcola’s potential move to Liverpool has been that story this summer. Given that Liverpool are crying out for a right winger to replace Mohamed Salah, one of their greatest ever players, it might seem surprising that their attention has been fixed on Barcola, who has spent 77% of his minutes at Paris Saint-Germain on the left side of the attack. However, rather than signing a like-for-like replacement, Liverpool seem keen to bring in a fast forward who is willing to press and can play on either flank.
Andoni Iraola’s approach is built on relentless pressing and fast transitions; Barcola’s numbers suggest he would fit in perfectly. The 23-year-old’s peak sprint speed of 32.7km/h was the fourth highest in Europe’s top five leagues last season; he made 109 runs in behind in the Champions League – among the highest tallies in the competition; and he won back the ball in the final third more often than any Liverpool player (per 90 minutes). With Salah gone, Liverpool need goals; Barcola scored 11 in Ligue 1 last season and 14 the year before. He looks tailor made to be the kind of vertical threat Iraola needs at his new club.
Julián Álvarez to Arsenal
Despite signing Viktor Gyökeres for £63.7m last summer, Arsenal find themselves in the familiar position of needing to solve their supposed striker problem. That might sound strange given they won the Premier League title and reached the Champions League final last season. They were also the second top scorers in the Premier League (after Manchester City).
However, they only scored 71 goals (the lowest by the champions since Leicester lifted the trophy a decade ago) and 29 of them came from set pieces – a Premier League record. Gyökeres was their top scorer in the league but he only scored 14 goals – fewer than Erling Haaland (27), Igor Thiago (22), Antoine Semenyo (17), Ollie Watkins (16), João Pedro (15) and Morgan Gibbs-White (15).
Thierry Henry knows what it takes to score goals for Arsenal. When the club’s record scorer picks out a striker he likes, it is worth listening. “One of my favourite nines out there is Julián Álvarez,” he said earlier this year. “Putting pressure, playing alone, dropping low, whatever you want – score free-kicks, hold the ball. He played at the Olympic Games, the Copa América, but I don’t hear him saying he’s tired. He plays in everything and, the way he does it, I like him.”
This is what Arsenal need: a versatile forward who is almost a blend of Kai Havertz and Gyökeres. The 26-year-old can hold up the ball or drop deep to link up play, and he can also hurt teams with his pace and penalty-box instinct. Just as importantly for Mikel Arteta, he presses relentlessly from the front. Álvarez applied more pressures per 90 minutes (82.8) than any other player in the Champions League last season. He also has Premier League experience, having been a part of the City squad that won the treble.
Atlético Madrid have fought off attention from Barcelona this summer and insist Álvarez is not for sale, but he has said he wants to leave. Losing him to Arsenal would be better than seeing him join a direct rival in La Liga.
Enzo Fernández to Manchester City
Rodri’s move to Barcelona has stripped Manchester City of more than just a Ballon d’Or winner. It has removed the foundation on which their entire possession-based approach has been built for years. It now falls to Enzo Maresca to pick up the pieces and find a solution after losing the man who was voted the best player at the World Cup.
Rather than trying to replace the irreplaceable, it seems the Italian is attempting to divide Rodri’s influence through a collection of players. No player in world football possesses Rodri’s defensive positioning and ability to read the game, the underlying qualities that allowed City to be on the front foot so often without fear of being caught in transition. Elliot Anderson, the club’s record £116m addition, will be asked to take on Rodri’s anchoring duties. He won possession more than any other player in the Premier League (306) and also had more touches than any other player (3,323).
Fernández would be the next piece in the puzzle. The Argentinian midfielder would offer City’s midfield some of the qualities they miss on the ball: the ability to dictate from deep, move up the pitch and find forward passes through the lines. Fernández ranked seventh among Premier League central midfielders for forward passes last season and his instinct for timing late arrivals into the penalty area makes him a constant threat on the edge of the box. Fernández is more of an attacking threat than Rodri – he scored 10 goals in the league last season – and could form a deadly duo if paired with Anderson.
Cody Gakpo to Spurs or Manchester City
If Barcola joins Liverpool, Gakpo could be shown the door. Liverpool fans have grown increasingly weary of the sight of him cutting inside on to his right foot and blazing one over the bar. And yet, as deadline day approaches, two Premier League rivals are interested in him.
Spurs have been on a spending spree this summer and have apparently agreed personal terms with Gakpo. The 27-year-old is also reportedly attracting interest from Manchester City, who have said goodbye to Rodri, Tijjani Reijnders, Sávio, Bernardo Silva, Nico González and Omar Marmoush this summer. He is coming off a disappointing season – like many at Liverpool – but his underlying numbers are impressive.
Gakpo’s stats in the Premier League last season – seven goals, five assists, 8.59 xG, 87 shots and 10 big chances created – compare favourably to the forwards on the books at Spurs. At 6ft 4in, he is a threat in the air and he can play as a centre-forward. We should also remember that he scored 18 goals and provided seven assists in all competitions in 2024-25, when Liverpool won the title. He also had a good World Cup for the Netherlands, scoring three goals in four games.
