Not many weeks into his new job as Liverpool manager, Andoni Iraola stated he needed more speed in his attacking game. After several blunders in the transfer market to bring in the wingers, Liverpool fans could finally welcome Bradley Barcola to the club. While speed isn’t everything in the Premier League, a winger with top-fuel pace poses a threat in his own right. The Frenchman needed half an hour in the stadium to show the supporters – and opponents – what is to come.
Against Ipswich, Iraola was tempted to bring Barcola in from the start, but made the wise choice to introduce Barcola as a second-half substitute instead. Although he wasn’t quite as involved as supporters might have hoped, the 24-year-old showed a lot of promise.
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After being brought in to a large extent to introduce speed into Liverpool’s attack, Barcola immediately showed it – as the highest top speed in the Premier League so far this season.
Obviously, his speed isn’t the only reason Liverpool wanted to sign Barcola. You don’t spend over £120 million on someone who can run fast and do nothing else. Still, it was clear that introducing speed back into Liverpool’s front line was crucial.
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In Barcola, Liverpool have certainly done that, and his top speed of 35.9 km/h against Ipswich is officially the fastest recorded in the 2026/27 season so far.
