Liverpool: 'He did not choose his price', Premier League legend defends Barcola after sluggish start

A legend of the France national team has leapt to the defence of Bradley Barcola, who joined Liverpool in the last summer transfer window and is enduring a sluggish start to life at the club.

Liverpool broke the bank at the end of the summer transfer window to sign Bradley Barcola.

The Reds spent £123m, including add-ons, to convince Paris Saint-Germain to sell their winger. Given that outlay, as well as his status as a French international and two-time Champions League winner with the Parisian club, expectations are naturally high surrounding the 24-year-old.

As a result, Bradley Barcola is experiencing a level of pressure he never faced at Paris Saint-Germain, or indeed before that.

He has, in addition, the significant task of filling the void left by Reds legend Mohamed Salah, who joined Trabzonspor over the summer, even though the Frenchman is not a natural right winger and prefers to operate on the left.

Thierry Henry defends Bradley Barcola's sluggish start at Liverpool

For now, the Villeurbanne-born player's start at Liverpool has been sluggish. He has featured in five matches, three of them as a starter, and has yet to make a decisive impact.

Bradley Barcola has been able to create chances through his pace and technical quality, but has struggled in front of goal. Thierry Henry has decided to defend his compatriot and attempt to explain his disappointing start.

"He just arrived in Liverpool, he does not speak English, and it is a different style of play with different intensity in the league. I had to deal with it the same way, and then that little switch happened and I was more comfortable."

"You start to speak English, you can joke around in the dressing room, you are a bit less shy and people start to know what you are about. It is not an easy place to start," the 1998 World Cup winner explained in an interview with Betway.

Thierry Henry: 'The only thing he needs to work on is his finishing'

Unlike Thierry Henry when he joined Arsenal in 1999 for £11m, Bradley Barcola carries the weight of a blockbuster transfer fee on his shoulders.

"He did not choose his price, but that price is written on his back. We all know that one-v-one, he is deadly, and he has pace. The only thing he needs to work on is his finishing, but that is normal," the former striker explained.

"If you compare my finishing at 19 or 20 to how it was at the end of my career, it was very different. I gained a lot more composure in my game."]

Thierry Henry is therefore calling for patience with the former Paris Saint-Germain man, who possesses the qualities needed to become one of the best wingers in the world.

With Florian Wirtz, who joined in the summer of 2025 for £115m, Liverpool have shown that they are willing to give time to a talented young player to prove himself. The German attacking midfielder, who endured a disappointing first season and faced plenty of criticism, remains a regular starter for the Reds.