Exclusive: Liverpool were right to prioritise Salah replacement over right-back

Exclusive: Liverpool needed a Salah replacement more than a new right-back Make us your Google favourite Liverpool need a new right-back but the club was right to prioritise a marquee signing to replace iconic attacker Mohamed Salah, who departed as a free agent in the summer. That’s the opinion of former Anfield favourite Jason McAteer, who has backed his former club’s decision to go out an spend big money on the likes of Bradley Barcola and Victor Munoz while leaving the full-back areas untouched. Both Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong have come in for criticism following the opening two Premier League matches of the season, but former Ireland international McAteer says that the Reds will be just fine in these areas once players start coming off the treatment table. “I think Liverpool were in need of a marquee signing, certainly after losing Mo Salah at the end of last season,” he explained. “With all the transfer activity and big spending across the Premier League, fans were anticipating a marquee arrival. That was Bradley Barcola coming in at £120 million.” McAteer added that it was going to be difficult for Liverpool to find value for money in the areas they need strengthened. “With the way the window is priced, players in certain positions are heavily overpriced right now – defensive midfielders and full-backs in particular,” he explained. “When it's glaringly obvious you need someone in a position, you pay a premium. I don't think Liverpool wanted to fall into that trap having outlaid so much on Barcola, Victor Munoz, and the others they brought in. It’s an area that needs strengthening – a defensive midfielder and certainly the right-hand side. “I listened to Andoni Iraola's press conference, and he spoke about the versatility of the squad. Dominik Szoboszlai played right-back at the weekend and raised a few eyebrows, but when everyone is fit, Iraola has plenty of options in that full-back area. “It's just a matter of time before players get off the treatment table. You’ve got Conor Bradley, Jeremie Frimpong, Munoz, and even Joe Gomez or Giovani Leoni when fit – that's five names right there, even if three or four are currently injured. The recruitment strategy was clearly to wait, not panic, and not pay over the odds for a full-back.” Florian Wirtz will only get better – and Barcola will help At the other end of the field, meanwhile, McAteer is forecasting big things from Florian Wirtz, who arrived in a €125m transfer from Bayer Leverkusen a year ago but struggled to justify that fee. “Last season was disappointing for him for a lot of reasons,” he said. “What didn't help Wirtz was playing out of position and trying to strike up new relationships with players who were in and out of the team like the likes of Hugo Ekitike, and then Alexander Isak coming in. “Under Arne Slot, it was a more pragmatic, controlled style of play, and breaking teams down was difficult at times. For an extremely creative player with bags of guile who likes to drop into pockets, that was tough to adjust to. “On top of that, there's the massive expectation and price tag that comes with playing for Liverpool – the biggest club in the world. Everyone saw what he did for Germany and Leverkusen, so when he didn't immediately deliver, he faced heavy scrutiny and media negativity. “This season, he’s starting in a position he's very comfortable in, and there are definite green shoots with him and Isak. He was heavily involved in all the positive play against Nottingham Forest at the weekend, and he'll only get better. When you throw Barcola into the mix, those two will complement each other brilliantly.” Liverpool face Ipswich in their third Premier League match of the season on Friday, with Iraola hoping to guide his squad to their first victory. Jason was speaking to Football Transfers on behalf of 10bet - an online casino UK and sportsbook