Liverpool are all set to boost their attacking options by completing the £120m signing of Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain.
The France international is reportedly on the verge of joining the Reds on a long-term deal, following a trophy-laden spell with PSG.
Under Luis Enrique, Barcola won three straight Ligue 1 titles, and back-to-back Champions League crowns.
Despite the disappointment of missing out on Yan Diomande, who joined Real Madrid, Liverpool fans will be excited by the arrival of the 23-year-old.
But what can the Kop expect from their new signing? Let’s find out as we compare his stats from last season to those who will provide competition for him on the wings…
Bradley Barcola analysis
A greater goalscoring threat
Comparing him to the other wingers still at Liverpool, Barcola was the only one to reach double figures with 13 goals in all competitions.
Cody Gakpo was his nearest challenger on that front with nine.
Barcola also boasted the best conversion rate in the league with 16.42%. Rio Ngumoha came closest to that with 12.5%, though the teenager player 10 fewer games.
The 23-year-old also led the way with regards to expected goals (xG) with 0.46 per game.
In all competitions, Barcola boasted a goal every 250 minutes. Federico Chiesa bettered that with 242, but the Italian played 19 less games.
More creativity
As well as 13 goals, Barcola also notched eight assists across all competitions last season. That’s the joint-most among his new teammates, matching Wirtz.
The Frenchman also led the way when it came to completed dribbles (63), Ngumoha (4.35) completed more per 90 minutes (1.88) having played significantly fewer matches.
Meanwhile, only Wirtz (95) created more chances from open play than Barcola (79). The German (10.17) also marginally bettered him when it came to expected assists (8.46), albeit he was mainly operating from a central role behind the striker.
Although, it’s worth noting just one of Barcola’s assists came in Ligue 1, with Gakpo (five) and Wirtz (three) recording more in the Premier League. Compared to his new team-mates, in just league football alone, he registered the fewest assists per 90 minutes with 0.1.
Similarly, Wirtz (60) and Gakpo (54) fared better than him when it came to chances created (38) in league football last term.
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Not quite so much physically
This is where Barcola was slightly down the pecking order compared to his new teammates.
The 23-year-old registered a take-on success of 41.38% in Ligue 1 last season. That was quite a way behind Ngumoha’s 69.05% or Wirtz’s 52.7%. In fact, only Chiesa (18.18%) had less success in this metric.
Also, Barcola’s 86 duels won was nowhere near the 160 recorded by Gakpo, while Wirtz also fared better with 99. Ngumoha led the way in duels won per 90 with 7.4, with only Wirtz (3.8) having less than Barcola’s 4.5.
Ngumoha also had the highest duel success in all competitions with 51.39%, though he played just over half as many games as Barcola (42.01%). Although, Gakpo also did better than the Frenchman in that regard (48.12%).
That’s an area where Barcola must improve as he looks to adapt to the more physical demands of the Premier League.
