Liverpool sent £281m transfer message amid exciting Andoni Iraola prediction and Mo Salah claim | OneFootball

Former England international Fara Williams believes Andoni Iraola can be a success at Liverpool this season and that their big-money signings from last year can come good in 2026-27.

Moreover, the ex-Everton player feels that the “uncertainty” hanging around Mohamed Salah for much of last season will no longer be an issue this term following his summer exit.

After Arne Slot led the Merseyside outfit to Premier League title success in 2024-25, FSG spent more than £400m on the likes of attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz, striker Alexander Isak, and left-back Milos Kerkez.

The German international took time to settle in at Anfield following his £116m transfer, while Isak had an injury-hit campaign after his £125m switch from Newcastle United.

Kerkez flattered to deceive off the back of his £40m move from Bournemouth, with Andrew Robertson sometimes preferred to the Hungary international.

While Iraola has called for more signings and expressed concerns over his team running out of energy in their pre-season defeats to Leeds United and Monaco, Williams is backing the Spaniard to shine at Liverpool and the aforementioned trio to kick on this term.

She told F365, “It’s never easy for overseas players to come in and settle. And those that do, it’s got to be a big season. So the settling-in period probably has taken longer for the likes of Wirtz.

“I mean, he’s a fantastic player. We see that when he was playing in the German league for Bayer Leverkusen. And also when he plays for Germany, you see a difference in the quality that he has.

“Obviously, Isak was injured pretty much most of the season for them. The full-back, Kerkez, I think for him as well. Again, we saw what he did at Bournemouth. He was a fantastic full-back. And maybe the pressures were different at Liverpool for those players.

“But I think the manager is massive for them. I highly rate him. Yes, we could say that he was playing with less pressure at Bournemouth. The expectation is different at Bournemouth than at Liverpool.

“But when you look at the philosophy of managers and what you do with a group of players and how you get players to buy into what you want to do, he certainly can do that, and he’ll do that at Liverpool. And I think Liverpool will be strong, again, competing.”

Williams, who was capped 172 times by England between 2001-19, highlighted how Salah’s feud with Slot and the club, over a lack of game time, may not have helped their cause last season.

Liverpool, who also saw Trent Alexander-Arnold leave the club for Real Madrid, were also left reeling by the death of forward Diogo Jota last summer.

And while the Reds are not the finished article, Williams thinks there is a bit more stability about the club now.

She added, “I think Liverpool will be a threat again this year. They all know that they certainly underachieved last year. There was all that kind of talk about Salah and obviously with Trent going and obviously with the [Virgil] Van Dijk talk.

“They were really unsettled going into the season and then it hung over them, didn’t it? The Salah uncertainty was just hanging and lingering the whole season. I think you can’t come away from the Jota situation and how much that would have impacted the fans, players, coaches, staff.

“I read something on the fans maybe coming away from the clapping that they did for Jota (when his old shirt number matches the minutes into the game), and kind of stop reminding them of that because that emotion was draining on the players.

“There was a lot for them to overcome last year and I think it’s a fresh start for them this year and they’ll be real competitors again.”