Henry urges patience with £123m Barcola as Real Madrid eye former Liverpool defender Quansah

Thierry Henry has urged Liverpool supporters to be patient with Bradley Barcola, warning that the £123 million summer signing from Paris Saint-Germain needs time to adapt to the Premier League — as Real Madrid are separately reported to be circling former Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah.

Barcola, who joined the Reds at the end of the transfer window, has made five appearances without a goal contribution. Henry, speaking in his capacity as a former France international who experienced his own adjustment period in English football, drew on personal experience to contextualise the winger’s understated opening weeks.

“People forget that the tactic, the team and how you play matters,” Henry said. “It’s not always easy when you’re used to a certain system and a way of playing, where everybody knows what’s happening at any time. He just arrived in Liverpool, he doesn’t speak English, and it’s a different style of play with different intensity in the league. I had to deal with it the same way, and then that little switch happened and I was more comfortable.”

Henry acknowledged the weight of expectation that comes with Barcola’s price tag and his Champions League pedigree, but backed the 22-year-old to come good. “We all know that one-v-one, he is deadly, and he has pace. The only thing he needs to work on is his finishing, but that’s normal. People are not going to wait for him to become the finished article, so he’s going to have to deliver. There is going to be a level of expectation, and sometimes he is a bit raw in his finishing, but he creates a hell of a lot.”

The ongoing international break has given Liverpool a moment to take stock of a season that has produced a solid, if unspectacular, unbeaten start under manager Andoni Iraola.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid have declared an interest in Jarell Quansah, according to SPORT BILD. The England centre-back left Liverpool for a Bundesliga club in the summer of 2025 in a £30 million deal, having also attracted interest from Arsenal before his departure. The Warrington-born defender’s potential move to the Bernabéu would mark another significant step in a career that has gathered momentum since his time at Anfield.