£123m on the bench? Barcola isn't Gakpo's victim – he's the investment Liverpool needs most right now

Imagine being Bradley Barcola. You are 24 years old, having just joined Liverpool for £123 million – one of the most expensive signings in club history. You sit on the bench for your Premier League debut against Ipswich Town. When you are brought on in the second half, you cannot make the impact your replacement in the starting XI did – Cody Gakpo, who just provided two assists for Alexander Isak in a 2-0 win. Jamie Carragher posts on X: "Barcola is going to struggle to get a game with this version of Gakpo." The internet immediately takes sides. A £123 million signing sitting on the bench? Failure? A mistake? No. This is exactly what Liverpool needs – and it is the equation Carragher has missed. Since Andoni Iraola took over at Liverpool, the attack has been the strategic weapon. The club boasts Gakpo, Isak, Barcola, Luis Díaz, Darwin Núñez, and Diogo Jota – six elite attacking options for three positions. Gakpo is in the best form; nobody denies that. The Dutch forward had almost completed a move to Manchester City days before the match, but the deal collapsed. Instead of letting his morale drop, he responded with an outstanding performance. That is the quality of a top player – and the reason Iraola keeps him in the starting XI. But look at the schedule. Liverpool is expected to play over 50 matches this season, spread across the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, and League Cup. No player can maintain peak form through 50 games at Premier League intensity. Rotation is not a luxury – it is a necessity for survival. Iraola himself said: "Sometimes they will start, sometimes they come from the bench, sometimes they will not play. But this competition, I think is going to be good for all of them." This is the crucial point the critics miss: Barcola did not come to Liverpool to replace Gakpo immediately. He came to create depth – the thing Liverpool lacked last season, when the team ran out of steam in the decisive phase because the attack was too thin. People call those strange late-season failures a curse. I call them sentences written by hasty hands – hands that refused to spend when necessary, that refused to look beyond a single season. The data also supports this argument, if we read it correctly. Gakpo is at his peak at 25 – which means his market value is at its highest. Liverpool just rejected an approach from Manchester City, or at least watched the deal collapse. But if another club returns in January with a higher bid? Liverpool needs a ready-made replacement, not one that must be panic-bought in the winter window – where every price is inflated. What makes Barcola different from previous expensive flops is his profile. He is not a 20-year-old from a small league needing time to adjust to English football. Barcola has played for Paris Saint-Germain – one of the most pressurized clubs in Europe – and is a French national team member. He is used to performing under pressure, used to being compared to superstars. The question is not whether he is good enough, but when the opportunity comes. Where could I be wrong? There is a completely different scenario: Gakpo maintains his form, Isak keeps scoring regularly, and Barcola only gets 15-20 substitute appearances all season. He loses match rhythm, confidence drops, and by summer, Liverpool faces the question of how to sell a depreciating £123 million asset. That risk is real. But it only happens if Liverpool fails to win a major trophy. If Liverpool wins the Premier League or goes deep in the Champions League thanks to the rotation Barcola provides, then £123 million is cheap compared to the value of a trophy. Ask the reverse question: Should Liverpool have refused to sign Barcola just because Gakpo is playing well? Elite football does not operate on that logic. Manchester City had Erling Haaland yet still recruited more quality forwards. Arsenal had Bukayo Saka yet strengthened their attack. Big clubs do not buy players to fill current gaps – they buy to prepare for future gaps, and to be ready when injury or loss of form strikes anyone in the squad. The truth that Carragher and his camp miss lies in a simple question: if Liverpool did not have Barcola in the squad and Gakpo got injured in October, who would replace him? Luis Díaz was inconsistent last season. Darwin Núñez remains a huge unknown. Diogo Jota has a worrying injury history. Liverpool would be forced to spend £80-100 million mid-season on an inferior player – or worse, sign nobody and accept a trophyless campaign. This is long-term strategy, not short-term reaction. When the season reaches March and April – where championships are usually decided – Liverpool will need all six of its forwards. Barcola, with fresh legs and hunger to prove his worth, could be the secret weapon no opponent anticipates. Gakpo is not Barcola's barrier. He is the benchmark Barcola learns from, and the motivation Barcola needs to push harder every day. Football never operates the way we expect. The most expensive signings are not always instant stars. Sometimes, the real value of a signing is only seen when the team needs it most – and that is the moment when all the criticism, the tweets, the debates become meaningless. The question is not whether Barcola is worth £123 million. The question is: does Liverpool have the courage to stay patient with its plan, even when the whole world is doubting?