Iraola hesitant to sign direct Salah replacement
Andoni Iraola has confirmed Liverpool is looking to sign a right winger this transfer window, but not one that will directly replace Mohamed Salah, to avoid putting pressure on their new addition.
Salah was one of many high-profile exits at the end of the 2025-2026 campaign, with Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate also leaving Anfield.
The Egyptian will be a huge miss for Liverpool, having enjoyed a glittering nine-year spell at the Reds.
On the final day of last season, Salah provided the assist for Curtis Jones's goal against Brentford, overhauling Steven Gerrard as Liverpool's all-time leading assister in the Premier League, on 93.
He is the 10th player to become a single club's leading all-time scorer and assister in the competition, with his 191 goals putting him a long way clear of second-placed Robbie Fowler (128) in the Reds' Premier League scoring charts.
During this transfer window, Liverpool has been linked with RB Leipzig's Yan Diomande, Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain, Yankuba Minteh and Said El Mala.
While Iraola has confirmed Liverpool is looking for reinforcements on the right flank, he feels it is pointless to try to replace Salah directly.
"We cannot expect to sign a winger that is going to replace Mo Salah because, otherwise, we are preparing him to fail almost," he said.
"I think, obviously, we need someone in that area, but they probably will have different skills. He can maybe complement the team in another way, and we are working on that, definitely. It's one of the challenges.
"Definitely, there are going to be changes. A lot of senior players, players who have won everything here, have left, and we need other players not to replace them, but to assume [more responsibility] in terms of inside and outside the pitch.
"Some of the players we already have here also have to step up. They will for sure find themselves in an even more important position. And also, we have to find solutions outside that can help the very good players we already have."
Liverpool has already been making moves in the off-season.
As well as tying Dominik Szoboszlai to a new long-term contract, centre-back Jeremy Jacquet and forward Victor Munoz are their new arrivals from Rennes and Osasuna, respectively, and Iraola is excited about what they will add to the squad.
"Jeremy is a player I knew very well even before signing for Liverpool," Iraola said. "Still being young, he has all the tools that we will need for that position.
"He also comes [in the] last months of the season with a shoulder injury, but he's fully fit. He was ready to go from the beginning.
"Victor is also a player I know very well. He can play both wings, and I think he has the tools and the mentality. When I talked to the player, he is still humble and ambitious.
"I think he is going to be a very good addition for us."
