The World Cup is winding down and pre-season will starting up for many of Europe’s clubs over the next week, and for Liverpool it is no different with a small senior squad of around 15 first team players engaged in their first preparations for the 2026-27 season today.
More than the returning players, though, the focus in on the new head coach. Andoni Iraola arrived shortly after last season ended, the previous 15+ months having been difficult enough—and with no real signs of improvement—the club
had little choice but to part ways with Arne Slot.
With many of the players back together for the first time today, it was also a chance for Iraola to speak with the press for the first time since taking over, and he was asked what team he envisions building in the coming weeks and months as he looks to get the Reds on track.
“I would like to give them a team [the fans] can feel proud of,” Iraola said. “I think football, especially for Liverpool, is about connecting—connecting with people, connecting with the supporters. I’ve been on the other side at Anfield, I’ve experienced the goal [Federico] Chiesa scored first game last season.
“You can feel this stadium, and I would love to have this every game we play. And that has to come from us from inside the pitch and we have to be a team that works hard—intense, aggressive, vertical so everyone can be identified, everyone can feel comfortable supporting.”
Iraola also acknowledged that the squad does need at least a few new signings. Winger Victor Muñoz has been brought in from Osasuna, while the signing of Jeremy Jacquet from Rennes has been formalised after the talented centre half saw out the season at his former club.
Liverpool were always a thin and unbalanced group last season following the failures of the 2025 summer transfer window—and those failures at the very least contributed to the downfall of Iraola’s predecessor. Now, they’ve lost Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konaté.
Even leaving aside the possibility for further departures, there’s a lot of work to do and while Muñoz and Jacquet are a good start, they can’t be the end of the end of it. And time is very much ticking with the Reds starting pre-season and heading on their pre-season tour later this month.
“Obviously we’ve signed two players already but we need more players,”Iraola said. “We know this, and the club is working on this. Me as a coach, selfishly, you want the players here day one, ready to train for pre-season, but we understand that football doesn’t work like this.
“I know the club is working hard to get those signings and I’m trying to help also. I’m also using these couple of weeks I’ve had, before we start properly the first team trainings, to talk with a lot of people that work every day here so our players can perform and we can maximise their abilities.”
Liverpool will spend the next two weeks at their AXA Training Centre base before heading to the United States, with their first pre-season date against Sunderland on July 25th in Nashville. Wrexham in New York on the 29th and Leeds in Chicago on August 2nd follow before they return.
