Liverpool XI to be chosen by Iraola next season after potential £200m splurge on three signings | OneFootball

After making the huge announcement of Arne Slot’s exit over the weekend, Liverpool have moved quickly to acquire their preferred replacement and

This marks a sizable change in strategy from Liverpool’s hierarchy, who appeared to have caved to fan pressure to part company with Slot, and, in turn, re-implement a style of football that is ‘front-foot, aggressive and urgent’.

Pretty much everything that could go wrong did go wrong for Liverpool in the 2025/26 campaign, but now former head coach Slot holds a large portion of the blame for their poor Premier League title defence, and he was in an irredeemable position after committing to such an uninspiring playing style.

Liverpool supporters holding Jurgen Klopp and his heavy-metal approach on such a pedestal did not help Slot, but Iraola‘s stellar work at Bournemouth indicates that he is far better-equipped than his predecessor to deliver fans the football they desperately crave.

Iraola is deserving of an upward move to a giant after sealing European qualification for Bournemouth, and Liverpool will (at the very least) be a lot more fun to watch next season. But the Basque manager’s credentials will be seriously tested as he attempts to blend his system into three-game weeks, and he cannot afford for his new team to be as streaky as the Cherries were during his tenure.

Also, after Liverpool’s bodged £450m rebuild last summer, FSG will have to sanction another big spend in this window to give Iraola the best chance of being a success at Anfield.

And with a new report listing Liverpool’s supposed five main transfer targets this summer, we feel confident enough to take a stab at speculating what Iraola’s starting XI will look like next season as part of a 4-3-2-1 formation.

Predicting Liverpool’s starting XI under Andoni Iraola

Firstly, after Liverpool blocked his move to Juventus, Alisson Becker (whether he wants to or not) looks set to continue as his side’s No.1 goalkeeper next season, with the world-class goalkeeper still levels ahead of Giorgi Mamardashvili.

At left-back, it’s also pretty safe to assume that Milos Kerkez will be more sure of a starting place following Andy Robertson’s free transfer to Tottenham Hotspur, and he could perhaps benefit more than most from his former manager’s arrival after Slot did not play to his strengths.

But the centre-back department will inevitably look different in the absence of 2025/26 liability Ibrahima Konate, with new signing Jeremy Jacquet (who is currently among this summer’s most expensive additions) likely to start alongside captain Virgil van Dijk, though Giovanni Leoni will share the load.

At right-back, Liverpool need a new arrival due to Conor Bradley’s injury and Jeremie Frimpong looking unsuited to this role in the Premier League, but they won’t be landing Denzel Dumfries as he prepares to join Real Madrid from Inter Milan.

Instead, our colleagues at Planet Football have proposed £34m-rated Michael Kayode from Brentford as one of five perfect signings for Iraola’s Liverpool, and he would be a great fit for the head coach’s system with his athleticism and superb work rate.

Further forward, 25/26 Liverpool Player of the Season Dominik Szoboszlai should be one of the first names on Iraola’s teamsheet for centre-midfield, but he could have a new partner in the middle of the park next term.

Reports linking Liverpool with £80m-rated Adam Wharton are not going away, and his immense technical ability would provide a great foil for Szoboszlai’s dynamism in a re-charged midfield, while Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones are moved to the periphery and/or are sold this summer.

And one or two exits in this department may raise funds for Liverpool to add some much-needed electricity to their wide areas, which could come via the £86m signing of Yan Diomande to replace Mohamed Salah.

Liverpool are also heavily linked with PSG’s Bradley Barcola, but one or the other feels more likely than the Reds splashing out on both players, so last summer’s most expensive additions should make up the remainder of Iraola’s XI.

Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak *should* be much better after their uneasy settling-in period, while Hugo Ekitike, as he has done already, could be moved to left wing so he and his fellow striker can fit into the same team.