‘Give him time’ – Aldridge pleads for patience with Liverpool star who’s ‘going to another level’
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John Aldridge has called for patience regarding one Liverpool player who needs ‘time’ to properly show what he can bring to Andoni Iraola’s side.In the final two days of the summer transfer window, the Reds completed the signing of Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain for an initial £106m, potentially rising to £123m if all add-ons are activated (The Athletic).The 24-year-old started against Atletico Madrid and Fulham over the past week but didn’t score in either match, and Pat Nevin has been quick to state that the Frenchman can’t rely on his pace alone if he’s to succeed in the Premier League.(Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)Aldridge calls for patience with BarcolaIn his latest column for the Liverpool Echo, Aldridge has urged for fans and media to be patient with Barcola and not expect 10/10 performances from the winger straight away.The former Reds striker wrote: ‘Bradley Barcola has only just started; we’ve got to give him time. Look at Mo Salah, three players around him every time we got the ball, so he’s going to have to be good.‘It’s not his fault Liverpool paid £123million for him.
Like Isak, it’s not his fault, and it’s not Wirtz’s fault. Even though at this moment in time, we want things to happen straight away, because that’s the way it is in football, but he might need time.’Aldridge added: ‘He’s going to another level.
He’s played in Europe. Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trustBarcola deserves time to adapt to the Premier LeagueAldridge is spot on – yes, Liverpool paid a massive sum of money for Barcola and will expect a substantial return on that investment, but for pundits to scrutinise after only three games for the Reds is just ridiculous.It’s worth remembering that the 24-year-old hadn’t played for seven weeks between the closing stages of the World Cup and his LFC debut against Ipswich earlier this month, so naturally he’s still working his way back to peak match sharpness.It’s often the case that players who come to the Premier League from overseas require a certain adaptation period to adjust to the rigours of the English top flight, where there’s a discernible step up in quality from many of the teams that the Frenchman faced in Ligue 1.Barcola doesn’t have to shoot the lights out straight away, but hopefully as the autumn progresses, he’ll provide a steady supply of goals for Liverpool and show why the Reds were prepared to pay so much and wait so long to sign him during the summer.The sooner he gets off the mark, the less likely it seems that the same critics who were tripping over themselves to hammer Wirtz and Isak 12 months ago will turn their knives on our new number 29 instead.