Andoni Iraola can guarantee his success at Liverpool with one transfer

Andoni Iraola will want to hit the ground running as soon as possible at Liverpool.

The Spaniard has taken a rather large step-up as he joined the Reds from Bournemouth.

Indeed, the Cherries may have only finished one position behind Liverpool this term but, in terms of resources, finances and size, Liverpool are a much bigger and much more successful club.

So, even if you're the best manager in the world, there's bound to be some pressure when taking over at Liverpool.

With this in mind, Iraola will want to do everything in his power to make sure that everything goes smoothly which is why the Spaniard may try and get the transfer of one player completed as soon as possible.

Andoni Iraola must convince Liverpool to sign Illia Zabarnyi this summer

One position that Liverpool really need to bolster this summer is their defence.

Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate have both left Anfield which has left a gaping hole that needs to be filled.

Indeed, some of the Reds' youngsters may be called upon in pre-season and Kostas Tsimikas may even be given a chance but, if Liverpool want to start challenging for silverware again, they need to add some top-quality players to their squad before it is too late.

This is why, no matter who the Reds get linked with this summer, Iraola should be pushing for Illia Zabarnyi to be the Reds' new centre-back.

Of course, the Ukraine international may have just won the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain but, since he's now 23 years old and will want to be a regular starter, exiting the Parc des Princes could be the best move for him.

He'd instantly fit into his former manager's plans and, since he's already got some Premier League experience under his belt, he knows what it takes to be a good player in England's top flight.

This experience alone is invaluable and is one of the main reasons why Iraola should get Liverpool to throw everything at signing the centre-back.

Andoni Iraola's past experience with Illia Zabarnyi could help get his message across quicker

Iraola will want to get his Liverpool squad on the same page before the 2026-27 season even starts.

Their performances during the 2025-26 season were far from ideal and, if they want to improve on their fifth-place finish, they need to get aligned quickly.

Thanks to all the changes made by the Reds last summer, none of the players knew how to work with one another with each outfielder more or less playing their own game.

And, the fact that Slot chose against playing to Mohamed Salah's strengths was another massive change that nobody anticipated.

So, if Iraola can get one of his former players added to his ranks who already knows how his teams play, it would put him and his men in a much stronger position.

Manchester City, Arsenal and even Chelsea have all started to add new players to their ranks so, if Liverpool wait too long, they could be left behind their title rivals and Iraola could find himself between a rock and a hard place, which for his first season in charge, would be far from ideal.