Andoni Iraola\u2019s first summer at Liverpool is already carrying significance beyond routine preparation. Preseason will not only shape the squad\u2019s conditioning for 2026\/27, it will also help define which fringe figures and emerging talents can earn his trust before the campaign begins.<\/p>\n
For several players, the message is simple: deliver now or risk being pushed towards the margins. With uncertainty around selection, fitness and long-term futures, this is a pivotal window for those who need to stand out most.<\/p>\n
Curtis Jones is among the most closely watched. Linked with Inter Milan earlier in the year and again this summer, the 25-year-old has the chance to convince Iraola that he belongs in the plans. Iraola has already made his view clear: \u201cI rate Curtis very highly,\u201d Iraola recently declared . \u201cFor me he is a great, great player, and I hope he can continue with us and continue performing the way he has been performing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremie Frimpong also arrives under scrutiny after an injury-hit debut campaign. Signed to fill a major void, he has yet to settle, and the shift to a flat back four raises fresh questions over where he fits.<\/p>\n
Harvey Elliott returns from a poor spell at Aston Villa and now needs a response. He remains technically gifted, but preseason may determine whether there is still a role for him.<\/p>\n
Federico Chiesa and Wataru End\u014d both remain popular with supporters, though neither has been central to previous plans. Chiesa\u2019s future appears uncertain, while End\u014d\u2019s age and contract situation point in one direction, even if he can still help in the short term.<\/p>\n
Kostas Tsimikas has an opening to reclaim value as cover at left back, while Trey Nyoni and Stefan Baj\u010deti\u0107 are fighting for clarity on their immediate futures. Nyoni\u2019s 20 senior appearances mark him out as one for the present and future, whereas Baj\u010deti\u0107 is still battling back after a difficult two years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Preseason gives Iraola a first look at several Liverpool players facing uncertain futures.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17956,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[175],"tags":[1446,1615,299],"class_list":["post-17957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-liverpool","tag-academy","tag-andoni-iraola","tag-arne-slot"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17957"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17957\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}