Barcola Says He Is Not Mohamed Salah But Vows to Make His Own Liverpool History
Bradley Barcola has told Sky Sports he feels no pressure replacing Mohamed Salah at Liverpool and insists the best version of him is still to come after a £123m move. The winger, 10 games without a goal or assist early on, now faces Crystal Palace on Sunday.
- Player: Bradley Barcola, Liverpool winger
- Transfer fee: £123m move to Liverpool
- Next fixture: Crystal Palace vs Liverpool, Sunday, kick-off 2pm, live on Sky Sports
- Midweek: Liverpool face Fenerbahce in the Champions League on Wednesday
- Headline claim: Barcola says he is not at his best yet and feels no pressure from Salah's shadow
- Recent form: Hat-trick vs LASK, assists vs Brighton and Brentford, blank vs Arsenal
What was said
"No, I don't think I'm at my best yet. You still haven't seen the best version of me."
"On top of that, we're working with my team-mates so that they can make the most of my strengths. So yes, I think once we really develop that understanding, things will get much better. And I think things are improving all the time. People are beginning to understand my style of play much better. I think it's going much better."
"First of all, I wasn't the one who decided the transfer fee. So that's not been my problem."
"And regarding Mo Salah, he's a legend here. A huge one. He's done big things here and for that I have an enormous respect for him. But it's not pressure for me at all."
"I'm not Mohamed Salah, so I'm going to try to contribute whatever I can to the club and make my own mark on its history. I don't feel any pressure about that."
"For me, it was the right time to leave PSG. I spent so many great years there and I won an enormous amount of trophies. But it was time. It was quite difficult because, over there, it was a real family. We'd built something very special together."
"When a club like Liverpool comes calling, it's a great thing. I didn't have any doubts and I just knew I had to come here. I'm happy to be here, and I hope things go well for PSG."
"No, I don't think it has changed the goals for the season. I think we should have done better in a game like this. We had the chances to score, even to win the match."
"I think we need to work on being able to control the game more and play more football. Often, when we're in a game like this, we resort to long balls. But in my opinion, we should try to keep the ball on the ground more, because we have players with the quality to do that."
"We were really disappointed after the game but we know what we have to do better at. We're not going to give up. We know that other teams will drop points. So it's down to us to remain consistent until the end of the season."
The most revealing line is the one about the fee itself. Barcola has deliberately detached his own identity from the £123m number, pointing out he did not set it. That is a mature way to defuse a price tag that, fairly or not, will follow every goalless afternoon.
His words on Salah mix respect with a clear boundary. Barcola accepts the legend status of his predecessor without letting it define his own output. The challenge is that supporters will inevitably compare a marquee signing to the man he effectively replaced.
The numbers
- £123m: the fee Liverpool paid for Barcola
- £241m: combined potential cost of Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz
- 10: games without a goal or assist for club and country at the start of the season
- 0: shots on target for Liverpool at home to Arsenal, a first since Premier League data records began
- Second-bottom: Liverpool's Premier League ranking for big chances created this season
- 1-0: the margin of Arsenal's win at Anfield
Deal details
Barcola joined Liverpool this year in a £123m move from Paris Saint-Germain, arriving as the marquee attacking signing after Mohamed Salah's departure in the summer. He was a back-to-back European champion with PSG. At the French club he often had to settle for the bench in the biggest Champions League ties, with Ousmane Dembele, Kvicha Kvarasthkelia and Desire Doue ahead of Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha and Joao Neves. That competition explained why he rejected a new contract and pushed for a new challenge.
The context: a familiar Liverpool pattern
He is not the first big-money arrival to need time. Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz came in for a combined potential £241m, and the jury is out on both. Isak has only just started delivering his anticipated goal numbers, while many believe Wirtz is yet to get going on Merseyside. Barcola's early blank run was therefore familiar rather than alarming.
Why Liverpool's control problem is Barcola's problem
Barcola's most interesting tactical observation was about long balls. Against Arsenal, he argued, Liverpool abandoned the passing game despite having the quality to keep it down. That matters for a winger whose strengths depend on service into feet and runs in behind rather than contesting aerial duels.
If Andoni Iraola's side resort to direct football in tight matches, Barcola becomes isolated. The hat-trick against LASK and assists against Brighton and Brentford showed what happens when Liverpool circulate the ball with rhythm. His first-half running against Arsenal troubled the champions despite the eventual 1-0 defeat.
The wider issue is structural. Liverpool sit second-bottom for big chances created and failed to register a shot on target at home to Arsenal for the first time since Premier League data records began. Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz are still finding their rhythm too. Iraola has clearly improved the side after Arne Slot's flawed final year, but defeats to Manchester City and Arsenal at Anfield show the gap to the elite.
The honest conclusion is that Barcola is a symptom as much as a solution. His form is trending upwards, but the team's chance creation is the bottleneck. Keep the ball, create chances and the £123m signing will look like one.
Talking points
- Is Barcola right to say he feels no Salah pressure, or is he underestimating how demanding Anfield becomes when results slip?
- Liverpool are second-bottom for big chances created — is that on the new signings or on Iraola's tactics?
- Should Iraola abandon long balls and trust a possession game built around Barcola, Isak and Wirtz?
- At £123m, how long can Barcola go without a goal before the price tag becomes the only story?
What happens next
Liverpool travel to Fenerbahce in the Champions League on Wednesday before facing Crystal Palace away on Sunday, kick-off 2pm, live on Sky Sports. Barcola needs a return to the form that produced the LASK hat-trick and assists against Brighton and Brentford. Another blank would increase scrutiny on his price tag and Iraola's attacking setup.
Frequently asked questions
How much did Liverpool pay for Bradley Barcola?
Liverpool signed Barcola for £123m this year, making him their marquee attacking signing after Mohamed Salah's summer departure.
Why does Barcola say he is not under pressure replacing Mo Salah?
Barcola said he respects Salah as a huge legend but feels no pressure, insisting he is not Mohamed Salah and will try to make his own mark on Liverpool's history.
When do Liverpool play Crystal Palace?
Crystal Palace vs Liverpool is live on Sky Sports this Sunday from 1pm, with kick-off at 2pm, after Liverpool's Champions League trip to Fenerbahce on Wednesday.
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