EXCLUSIVE: Liverpool legend Barnes wants Iraola to be given time as new boss

In just over a week, the Premier League will return following what has been a hectic summer dominated by the World Cup.

Liverpool, now led by manager Andoni Iraola since the dismissal of Arne Slot, are unpredictable heading into the new campaign.

The Reds finished fifth last season, stumbling over the line to a Champions League position.

Top players such as Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez are yet to hit their best form for Liverpool.

Now, speaking exclusively to Tribal Football via 247Bet, Barnes has backed Iraola, and weighed in on comparisons between Dominik Szoboszlai and club legend Steven Gerrard.

Is Iraola the right fit for Liverpool?

Are you excited to see what Iraola can produce at Liverpool this season? And do you think he's going to bring Jurgen Klopp's pressing style back to the club?

"What Iraola has to do is bring his own style to the club. He can't be somebody else. And if that's who he is and that's how he wants to play, then that's what should happen.

"We have to forget about Jurgen, as much as we love him. We will remember him forever. But if you're going to live on Jurgen's legacy, then you can look at what happened at Manchester United.

"Alex Ferguson left, then they got rid of David Moyes, then Louis van Gaal, then Jose Mourinho, who are all good managers.

"Arsenal, when Wenger left, they got rid of Unai Emery, yes, but then Arteta came in, and the club said, do it your way.

"So Iraola's not bringing Klopp's style, he's got to bring his own Iraola style, and we have to accept that. Because if you're going to say that the non-negotiable is that any manager coming in has to do what Klopp did, then no manager is going to last at Liverpool.

"So Iraola has to do it his own way, and the fans have to get on board with what he wants to do. They had to get on board with what Arne Slot wanted to do, and they didn't like that, so they got rid of Arne Slot.

"Now, if all of a sudden we lose the first three or four games, or, you know, we don't start off well and we don't win all the games, are we then going to say, let's get rid of him?

"We have to stop that, or Liverpool will end up like Manchester United or like what Arsenal did until Arteta came and they finished eighth and eighth again.

"They eventually stuck with him, and they finished fifth, then second, but now they’ve won the league. That's what has to happen.

"So I don't care whether Iraola brings Klopp's style back or not. He has to have his own style because he's the manager. We have put him in charge, so we have to support him. We have to be respectful enough of him, and the fans have to get on board with that."

What's your thoughts on Szoboszlai? Do you think he's stepped up to be a real leader in the Liverpool side? Do you think he will be a role model heading into the new season?

"Well, I don’t think he stepped up as such. I think he's always done that. Ever since he came to the club, he's played with that vigour, that passion, that determination, and he'll continue to do the same thing. I don't think he'll do anything differently.

"Maybe because now he's one of the main senior players, and he's only been here two or three years, then he will become that leader because there's a lot of change in the team. But I don't think we're necessarily going to see a different Szoboszlai this season because I always felt that he played that way.

"He played like this even when he wasn't captain, which is important. You can overemphasise the importance of the captain, and that detracts from what the other players have to do if you're going to just put everything on the captain's shoulders. We need everybody, all 11 players, to be a captain out there to do their job."

Could Szoboszlai replace Van Dijk as captain in the future? He wears the number 8, maybe he could become a club icon like Steven Gerrard or is that a stretch?

"If he stays at Liverpool for 10 years, then very possibly, but he's been here two years, and there have been rumours about him going in that time too.

"So why worry about what's going to happen in the future when we've really got to improve this season? So that's what I'm looking forward to. I'm not looking to what's going to happen, whether Virgil leaves in a year and he takes over the captaincy. That's not important if we don't perform this season.

"So, I'm looking forward to getting this season going, starting well this season, continuing that, and then we can see where we're going to rank Szoboszlai or any other player.

"You can rank the players at the end of their careers, not at the beginning. So, you can look at Mo Salah and the legacy he's left now, because he's not there anymore.

"If Virgil leaves, what will his legacy be, having been there for eight, nine years? And then, if Szoboszlai stays for 10 years, we'll make a decision as to where we think he ranks. But I think it's too early to be talking about that."

How can Liverpool replace Salah? Is Barcola worth the money?

It is no secret that Liverpool are seeking to replace Salah with the likes of Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye. However, despite reaching personal terms with Barcola, Liverpool are still in discussions over his price tag.

However, Barnes believes the price is irrelevant and backed the current Liverpool squad to impress if the club fail to sign another fresh face in attack.

Do you think Liverpool made the right decision to allow Mohamed Salah to leave, especially as they haven’t managed to replace him yet?

"Well, absolutely, because, of course, if you look at the money he was on, and ask what value he's going to bring to Liverpool now at 34 years old. It has nothing to do with Mo. It's to do with the fact that when he gets to 34, you're not going to be the same player.

"So he will not be the same player again. He wasn't the same player last year, and this year he won't be either. So, of course, it's the right decision. I mean, are you going to keep him on the salary he's on without having the same impact? Why would you do that rather than bringing in someone new?

"So, yeah, a lot of people felt that Salah left it a year too late, and hindsight is a wonderful thing. So, yeah, that's not to then say that we should have kept Mo Salah now. Even last year, I felt that it was a year too late for us to have done that anyway.

"It's the right decision for Mo as well, you know, because Mo then wants to go to a club whereby the scrutiny on him isn't going to be as great. The expectations aren't going to be as great at his age, whereas the expectations would have been on him at Liverpool had he stayed.

"So, yeah, he's been a great servant. He's one of the top players in Liverpool's history ever. So we should remember him for that."

Do you think Barcola or his teammate Mbaye could replace Salah? Is that impossible? Or is a player going to step up, like Rio Ngumoha, for example?

"Well, of course, Liverpool should be looking to push Rio in more often, so why stop that? That’s not to say that Rio's definitely going to play every week, because we have enough players. We've got signings. We made so many signings last summer.

"Look at how good Paris Saint-Germain are when they got rid of their glamorous signings. The solution to winning football matches isn't to make glamorous signings. It’s about making signings that are going to help the football team.

"So, yeah, I'm happy with the squad. If you can get better players, yes, but if they don't sign another player, I'm not going to be too disappointed because I know the quality of the players we actually have.

"You're going to see a better Alexander Isak this season. It helps him that Hugo Ekitike is now missing. You're going to see a better Florian Wirtz. You've got Milos Kerkez too, you'll see a better version of that player.

"So, yeah, I don't think that Liverpool need to necessarily sign players. It's great if we can get players in, but in terms of what we actually have, I believe in working with what you have, because we have good enough players to make a much better fist of it than we did last year.

"So, yeah, if we can get better players, fine with me, and if Barcola comes, fine with me, but if he doesn't come, I won't be too disappointed either."

Barcola's price tag is reportedly close to around £145 million, would you say it's worth spending that money on him?

"If Liverpool think it's worth spending that money on him, then that's fine with me. Money, it doesn't matter. This is the world we live in. Transfer fees, we shouldn't take note of transfer fees, because it doesn't mean that a £100M player is going to be a success.

"If you have to pay £100 million, what's he worth? He's worth what you think he's worth, if you're prepared to pay that. And we know Barcola is a very, very good player, but, as I said, I don't think our problem is the attacking players we actually have. We've got a lot of attacking players.

"If he comes, I think he'd be a great signing, yes, but if he doesn't come, as I said, I wouldn't be that disappointed because I think that we have good enough players already."

If Liverpool are to replace Salah before the season begins, they must move quick. Supporters are crying out for new signings and as the opening clash against Newcastle at St. James' Park approaches, fans will pray that Iraola has a plan in place.