Victor Munoz is Andoni Iraola's first Liverpool signing – and he may be the smartest

Analysis

Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Accredited football journalist and editor covering the game since 2006

Andoni Iraola’s first signing at Liverpool arrived like a bolt from the blue, with a deal suddenly agreed for Victor Munoz.

Newcastle, in particular, were left stunned. The St James’ Park side appeared to be on the verge of capturing the 22-year-old Spain international as Anthony Gordon’s replacement.

Munoz impressed sufficiently with Osasuna on loan that Real Madrid seriously considered activating their buy-back option for the player, particularly when Barcelona were active in scouting the right-sided left winger.

STATS

Víctor Muñoz

F, M (L)

Osasuna

Víctor Muñoz

F, M (L)

Osasuna

All Tournaments

2025/26

• 36

  Games

• 7

  Goals

• 5

  Assists

View all stats

Ultimately, though, it was Liverpool who swooped at the critical moment to secure Munoz’s signature in a deal triggered by activating the player’s €40 million release clause. TalkSport reports that the Reds have agreed a six-year deal with the wideman.

Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano summed the deal up well on his YouTube channel as he explained:

“Out of nowhere again. Completely unexpected. Liverpool have their first signing of the summer and it's Victor Munoz from Osasuna. The deal is done, agreed, here we go.

“Newcastle had been working on the deal for some time. They were negotiating around the €40m release clause and had also been speaking to the player for five or six days.

“But then, in the last 24 hours, Liverpool appeared with zero links, zero reports and completed the deal. Victor Munoz, who is with Spain at the World Cup, is going to join Liverpool.”

Now that Liverpool have their first summer signing, what can fans expect of the new face?

The new Luis Diaz?

Liverpool’s decision to sell Luis Diaz last summer was one that undermined their title defence, so is Munoz a potential replacement for the Colombian, even in the long term?

Diaz has climbed to heights that were not predicted of him at Bayern Munich, becoming the best player in the world based on the data-driven ranking by analytics firm SciSports. While there’s no immediate indication that Munoz will become that good, the manner in which he has progressed over the last year is worth noting.

Across all players aged 22 or over and with a value of €10m or greater, only Barcelona defender Gerard Martin has improved more rapidly over the course of the last six months, SciSports’ data shows.

And there are similarities between Munoz and Diaz. Both are small, punchy wide players, yet Munoz offers more of a profile as a classic winger compared to the Colombian, with his cross count being significantly greater. But equally, both have a high number of dribbles, take-ons and shots, testimony to the directness that both have when in possession.

For the moment, at least, Diaz’s quality is superior. He provides significantly more chance creation passes, key passes, xG and xA, yet it must also be noted that he had the benefit of playing in an immensely dominant attacking side – a luxury that Munoz did not have with Osasuna last term.

Though he may be turning 23 in July, Munoz’s lack of first-team opportunities at Real Madrid mean that he is still a work in progress.

Iraola a master talent developer

The €40m that Liverpool have spent on him reflects their hope that he can develop into a player worth at least this figure, and in Andoni Iraola, they have the perfect coach to exploit his potential.

Scan the top-end of the list of SciSports’ most-improved players worth more than €5m in the last six months, and it is dominated by the Bournemouth squad that Iraola so artfully guided into Europe. Four of the most improved 20 players worldwide plied their trade at the Vitality Stadium last season.

Centre-backs James Hill and Marcos Senesi are both in this bracket along with left-back Adrien Truffert and central midfielder Alex Scott. A word, too, for Evanilson, with the centre-forward ranked 44th in this list.

Iraola is, therefore, a proven developer of talent, and hooking him up with the Spanish winger, who is brimming with potential appears a strong bet for the future.

What does this mean for Liverpool’s transfer market?

All the indications are that Liverpool will remain active for at least one more winger, with Ben Jacobs confirming the club are still “optimistic” that a deal can be struck for RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande.

The 19-year-old would arrive in addition to Munoz but Liverpool face competition from PSG for the signature of the Ivory Coast international. This could even arrive during the World Cup.

Even if the Reds miss out on Diomande, they would then look at signing Bradley Barcola from the two-time Champions League winners, though Arsenal provide competition for the France international star.

Meanwhile, Liverpool are still seeking to dip into the transfer market to strengthen their midfield and defensive options.

Munoz, though, will be the Reds’ first new signing, and while it’s not the blockbuster transfer that fans are hoping for, it may just be the smartest piece of business they do all summer.

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Written by

Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Robin Bairner is an eminent digital football journalist who has been writing about the sport for major global publishers since 2006, specialising in Ligue 1 and Scottish football. He has been chief editor of the FootballTransfers global edition since its launch in 2020. Previously Bairner had been a key member of the editorial team which helped Goal.com become the world’s biggest football website. He covered multiple major competitions as a correspondent for Goal including the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where he had the opportunity to work in Fortaleza. Among his highlights of the competition was Brazil’s quarter-final victory over Colombia.

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