Bradley Barcola is not pretending. The 24-year-old winger, signed from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer for £123m, concedes that his first months at Anfield have fallen short of his own standards.

“No, I don’t think I’m at my best yet. You still haven’t seen the best version of me,” he told Sky Sports at Liverpool’s AXA training ground.

The admission lands with Barcola under heavy scrutiny. After Liverpool’s 3-2 midweek Champions League defeat at Fenerbahçe, Jamie Carragher argued on Sky Sports that teenagers Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha are producing more than the summer’s marquee signing and that the club “basically haven’t spent your money well enough.” Former France international Emmanuel Petit has gone further in recent weeks, telling talkSPORT the signing is “overrated.”

Barcola told Sky Sports he does not carry that burden. He had no say in the £123m fee Liverpool paid Paris Saint-Germain, he said, and the price tag has never been his problem.

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Not Salah’s replacement

Barcola arrived as Liverpool’s second most expensive summer signing, behind striker Alexander Isak, and walked into expectations shaped by Mohamed Salah’s departure. He has refused to accept the comparison.

“I’m not Mohamed Salah, so I’m going to try to contribute whatever I can,” he said.

Speaking to Sky Sports, he called the Egyptian a legend at Anfield and said replacing him carries no pressure at all.

Still waiting in the Premier League

The returns remain thin. In 13 appearances Barcola has three goals and two assists. All three goals came in a Champions League hat-trick against LASK. In the Premier League he has recorded two assists and is still waiting on a first league goal, and his first ten appearances in all competitions produced neither goal nor assist.

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Iraola’s position question

Head coach Andoni Iraola, who replaced Arne Slot over the summer, has used Barcola on both flanks and once as a central striker, in the Fenerbahçe defeat. Iraola has conceded the Frenchman looks sharper out wide, telling reporters that “all season he has been better when he has played outside wide.”

Barcola told Sky Sports his form is already moving in the right direction and that his team-mates are starting to grasp his style. Leaving PSG, he said, had been emotional but correctly timed.

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