Andoni Iraola's first Liverpool press conference was blunt from the start. He said the club need more signings, and he also opened the door for Harvey Elliott after a rough spell away from Liverpool.

"We've signed two players, we need more, we know this," Iraola told express.co.uk. That was the clearest line in a press conference that mixed transfer urgency with a direct message to Elliott about his next chance.

Elliott's pre-season chance

Iraola was positive about Elliott's attitude and his place in the squad. "Harvey is here with us, I have seen him with the eagerness to show up, get super ready. He'll have a chance in pre-season, we'll need him and it's a good sign," he said.

That matters because Elliott's loan at Aston Villa never really got going. He made only nine appearances there, and his recent output was thin, with just 9 minutes in his most recent five-match sample and a 6.3 rating in that stretch.

Iraola also pointed to a difficult season for the player, saying he hopes to see him "in a good place" before decisions are made in pre-season. The message is fairly clear: Elliott is not being pushed aside, but he is being asked to prove he belongs in a different set-up.

Why Liverpool still need more

The transfer side of the press conference was just as direct. Liverpool have already signed Victor Muñoz from Osasuna in a £34.5million deal, but Iraola said the club still need more arrivals and are working on it.

The wider squad picture explains why that view is hard to argue with. Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate all left on free transfers, while Liverpool finished 5th in the Premier League on 60 points.

That is not a collapse, but it is not a squad that can stand still either. The gap between the departures and the need for depth is obvious, and Iraola sounded like a head coach who knows the rebuild is still active rather than wrapped up.

The strongest line from the day was not about style or theory. It was the direct admission that Liverpool need more, paired with a reminder that Elliott still has a place to fight for when pre-season starts.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →