Bradley Barcola will adapt to Premier League life quicker than Florian Wirtz, former Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant has said, with the French international forward considered tailor-made for the English top flight. Liverpool splashed out £123 million ($166m) on the attacking talent during the summer 2026 transfer window.

• A successor to ‘Egyptian King’ Salah is needed

  Barcola, 24, has enough experience and potential to suggest he can fill very big shoes on the banks of the Mersey, while operating on the opposite flank. He is considered at his most effective when surging down the left side.

  The talented Frenchman has been gradually integrated by Andoni Iraola, making his debut as a substitute at Ipswich before playing 60 minutes as a starter in a European clash against Atletico Madrid. The hope is that he will not take too long to register his first decisive contribution.

• Barcola awaits his first goal involvement for Liverpool

  Liverpool believed Isak and Wirtz would provide that spark, but both struggled to live up to the enormous expectations. Will Barcola fare better with a nine-figure price tag on his back?

  When that question was put to Pennant, with Barcola needing to learn quickly after his arrival in English football, the former Reds winger, speaking in association with NetBet Sport, told GOAL: ‘I think anyone coming into the Premier League has to adapt differently to their style.

  ‘All the European leagues are nowhere near as competitive as the Premier League. But if you look at Barcola’s game, he’s kind of tailor-made for the Premier League. He’s quick, he’s powerful for his size and frame, and if you have those attributes in the Premier League, you can go far.

  ‘I was quick and I wasn’t the biggest, but it worked. I played in the Premier League my whole life.

  ‘I think he’ll adapt quicker than Florian Wirtz because in the position Wirtz plays, he’s up against the big lads in midfield. That’s where the bulk of the work is done. Out wide, it’s a bit different. It’s not as brutal as in midfield. In the games he’s played, Barcola, from the small clips I’ve seen, I thought he did very well.’

• Will Barcola be a £123m success in the Premier League?

  Liverpool cannot afford to wait as long as they did with Isak and Wirtz to see Barcola at his best. The huge investments in trust and financial resources mean he must become a talismanic presence in the final third.

  He will inevitably need time to find his feet, after getting used to playing in PSG and France teams that dominate their opponents, but this new start and new challenge should be embraced with open arms, as should the weight of expectation on his shoulders.

  Liverpool, buoyed by two consecutive wins in domestic and continental competitions, return to Premier League action on Saturday by hosting Fulham and the familiar face of former Reds defender Alvaro Arbeloa.