Iraola calls for more Liverpool signings as Edwards exit leaves transfer plans in flux

Andoni Iraola has called on Liverpool to accelerate their transfer activity this summer, admitting the club needs more than the two players signed so far as he prepares to officially begin pre-season on Tuesday.

Speaking at his unveiling on Monday, Iraola acknowledged the disruption surrounding the club following the departures of Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate at the end of last season, and the announcement last week that transfer chief Michael Edwards is leaving Anfield for the second time. Jeremy Jacquet and Victor Munoz are the only additions to the squad so far.

“Obviously we’ve signed two players already but we need more players. We know this. The club is working on this,” Iraola said. “Me, as a coach, selfishly, you want the players here on day one, ready to train for pre-season. But we understand that football doesn’t work like this and I know that the club is working hard to get those signings and I am trying to help also.”

One player who has returned to Liverpool is Harvey Elliott, whose loan spell at Aston Villa last season ended without a single appearance. Iraola was unequivocal about the 22-year-old’s standing heading into pre-season.

“Definitely. Harvey is here with us. I’ve seen him with this eagerness of showing himself and getting himself ready again. He will have a chance during pre-season. We will need him,” Iraola said. “Last season had to be very difficult for him. It was a strange situation where they couldn’t even put him to play. And I think he uses this, the bad situation he has experienced, to make him even more eager to be a Liverpool player.”

Iraola, who guided Bournemouth to consecutive top-half Premier League finishes before being appointed at Anfield, admitted he will only fully appreciate the scale of the job once immersed in the environment. Pre-season begins with a limited squad due to ongoing World Cup commitments.

“I want to think I understand. Probably not until you are here and until you go through certain experiences, I will not fully know but I am here to experience those situations, I am ready for it,” he said. “I understand that this is a massive club, everything that I’m going to say now is going to have the biggest scrutiny, you have to be very aware of the mistakes.”

Despite the upheaval, Iraola insisted he intends to remain true to his coaching identity as he takes on the biggest challenge of his managerial career.