One of the fastest players in Europe agrees six-year contract with Liverpool

One of the fastest players in Europe has agreed a six-year contract with Liverpool.

Liverpool’s transfer window has been pretty underwhelming so far.

There are still obvious weaknesses in the squad that need sorting before the season starts, but Liverpool haven’t really made much progress in fixing them.

Even Andoni Iraola admitted as much during his first press conference. The new head coach was pretty open about the fact that the squad still needed strengthening and said work was happening behind the scenes to bring in new players.

At the time, that was reassuring. At least there was an acknowledgement that Liverpool weren’t where they needed to be and that the club knew more work was required.

The problem is, not much has changed since.

Victor Munoz remains the only major addition, while most of the noise around Liverpool has been about deals falling apart, targets choosing other clubs and plenty of uncertainty over what happens next.

The biggest frustration has probably been Yan Diomande.

Liverpool were seriously interested in the winger and saw him as one of their preferred options to add some much-needed pace, directness and unpredictability to the attack.

He looked like the kind of signing that could genuinely change the dynamic of the squad.

Instead, Liverpool missed out, and once again they are left looking for alternatives with the season getting closer.

That is a pretty big blow for Liverpool because the attack was already one of the areas that needed the most attention.

With Mohamed Salah gone, it was obvious that the Reds needed another genuine match-winner in the final third. Someone capable of producing something out of nothing. Diomande looked like he could have been that player, particularly because of his explosive pace and ability to beat defenders one-on-one.

Missing out on your first-choice target can happen. That is football and, sometimes, another club simply wins the race.

The frustrating part is not having a clear alternative ready to go.

Liverpool knew what this squad needed long before the transfer window opened. They knew Salah was leaving, they knew they needed more pace and they knew the attack lacked players who could consistently beat defenders and create something from nothing.

Yet, with the new season getting closer, those problems are still there.

There is obviously still time for things to change. The transfer window isn't over and Liverpool have plenty of opportunity to put things right.

But at this point, supporters need more than reassurances that work is happening behind the scenes.

They need to actually see it.

Liverpool have spent plenty of time talking about what needs to happen this summer.

Now they need to start getting deals done. Otherwise, Iraola could be heading into his first season with a squad that still has some of the same problems it had when the window opened.

Well it looks like things are now finally starting to move for Bradley Barcola.

Nicolo Schira is reporting that the Reds are closing in on an agreement for the French winger who has agreed a contract until 2023 - so six years.

It's a massive vote of confidence but it makes a lot of sense.

He is one of the fastest players in Europe. Last season Barcola recorded a top speed of 36.7km/h. It made him the fifth fastest player in the Champions League, and that kind of speed is going to be music to Liverpool's ears.

Speed is exactly what Iraola needs in his attack, and Barcola is the perfect profile. It's exciting that Liverpool are finally making something happen.