Jacquet superb, Barcola patient: How Liverpool's summer signings have performed so far

Analysis

Matthew Judge | Editor

Andoni Iraola has over two weeks to reflect on what has been a positive start to his Liverpool tenure following the return of international football.

With club football on pause until early October, Iraola has the chance to analyse the good and the bad from his first seven games in charge.

Liverpool have registered four wins and no defeats in those seven games, while Alexander Isak is fit and firing again after an injury-ravaged debut season.

However, bigger tests lie ahead for the Reds, with Iraola’s men set to face the current top four of the Premier League in their next four league fixtures.

Thus Iraola will be assessing which of his players are in good form ahead of those crunch fixtures against Manchester City, Arsenal, Brighton and Hove Albion and Brentford.

Among those players are the fresh faces who arrived at Liverpool for the first time this summer, including Bradley Barcola and Ronald Araujo.

Here, FootballTransfers takes a look at how Liverpool’s summer signings have performed so far in the first few weeks of the 2026-27 season.

Victor Munoz (€40m, Osasuna)

After prioritising signing wingers in the summer, Liverpool made their move for Victor Munoz, stealing a march on Newcastle United by agreeing a quickfire deal.

And the Spain international made an immediate impact on his Premier League debut against the Magpies, winning the last-gasp penalty which earned his side a 2-2 draw.

Owing to his successful cameo against Newcastle, Munoz was named in the starting lineup for the visit of Nottingham Forest at Anfield.

And the World Cup winner repaid Iraola’s faith by scoring his first competitive goal for Liverpool in the 2-2 draw with Oliver Glasner’s side.

Operating in his favoured left wing role against Forest, Munoz was then deployed on the right for the subsequent league games against Ipswich Town and Fulham.

However, Munoz was unable to record a goal contribution in either game, while he also failed to create a single chance in those two matches.

Yet Liverpool have collectively struggled to create chances under Iraola so far this season, producing just nine - the joint-17th lowest in the Premier League.

Jeremy Jacquet (€63.6m, Rennes)

Liverpool fans are struggling to contain their excitement over Jeremy Jacquet, who has sparkled in the heart of their defence this season.

While captain Virgil van Dijk has urged calm over Jacquet, the performances of the 21-year-old are impossible to understate at the moment.

Jacquet has already helped Liverpool keep three clean sheets thus far - a huge positive given they conceded a staggering 74 goals last season.

And that return has come from a centre-back who arrived on Merseyside having only made 39 Ligue 1 appearances for Rennes and Clermont Foot respectively.

With a blend of power and pace to set pules racing, Jacquet appears to have all the tools to go to the top of the game with Liverpool.

It must be said that Van Dijk deserves huge credit for the form of Jacquet, however, with many a Liverpool defender having shone alongside the Dutchman.

Dejan Lovren, Joel Matip, Joe Gomez, Ibrahima Konate - all of them looked better than they were alongside Van Dijk, one of the best defenders in Premier League history.

Ifeanyi Ndukwe (€3m, Austria Vienna)

After catching the eye in pre-season, it came as a blow when Liverpool discovered Ifeanyi Ndukwe would be unable to make a competitive appearance for them this season.

The 18-year-old centre-back was denied a UK work permit following his summer move from Austria Vienna, preventing him from making further inroads at Liverpool.

Ndukwe was subsequently loaned to La Liga side Levante in August, and the centre-back has made two appearances for them so far this season.

He was a second-half substitute in the 4-2 loss against Barcelona in September - a match which saw Levante threaten a comeback with two late goals on home soil.

And Ndukwe was brought off the bench once again as Levante suffered a 3-1 reverse at Villarreal, collecting 27 minutes compared to the 19 he received against Barcelona.

Lucca Brughmans (€33m, Genk)

In a signing nobody saw coming, Liverpool broke the bank to acquire goalkeeper Lucca Brughmans from Belgian Pro League side Genk on deadline day.

Despite having only played 15 times for Genk, Brughmans excelled to such a level that Liverpool decided to spend big to secure his services.

The latest goalkeeping talent to emerge from a Genk side that has also produced Thibaut Courtois and Mike Penders, Brughmans was immediately loaned back to them.

And the 18-year-old has made three more league appearances for the club, keeping a clean sheet in the 0-0 draw at Anderlecht on 6 September.

Belgium Under-21 international Brughmans also played the full 90 minutes in the 1-1 draw with Gent and the 3-0 loss at champions Club Brugge.

Djylian N’Guessan (€5m, Saint-Etienne)

Three days after the transfer window closed in England, Liverpool announced the signing of teen sensation Djylian N’Guessan from Saint-Etienne.

The 18-year-old, who will officially join Liverpool on a permanent transfer in January 2027, was immediately loaned to Ligue 1 side Brest.

And N’Guessan has so far made two cameo appearances for Brest, coming off the bench in the tight losses against Paris Saint-Germain and Auxerre in September.

Brest, who played Champions League football in 2024-25, are currently 11th in Ligue 1 having won one of their five league games this season.

Ronald Araujo (Loan, Barcelona)

Eyebrows were raised in Spain when Liverpool decided to bolster their defensive ranks with the loan signing of Ronald Araujo from Barcelona.

The Uruguay international had suffered a sharp decline in form with the Spanish champions, meaning most fans were pleased with his departure.

And so Araujo deserves plenty of credit for the mental fortitude he has shown by performing brilliantly for Liverpool.

A centre-back by trade, the 27-year-old has made the right-back position his own so far this season, making four starts alongside Jacquet and Van Dijk.

While Araujo has primarily added steel at right-back, he caught the eye with a fantastic assist in the Champions League win over Atletico Madrid.

Araujo has made one appearance at centre-back so far this term, starting alongside Gomez as Liverpool downed Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup.

Bradley Barcola (€125m, Paris Saint-Germain)

After lengthy negotiations with Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool finally signed Bradley Barcola in a deal that was wrapped up on the eve of deadline day.

A move driven by Iraola, given his penchant for developing wingers at Bournemouth (Antoine Semenyo, Rayan), the signing of Barcola brought plenty of fanfare.

While the 24-year-old is yet to record a goal contribution for Liverpool, he has only played 170 minutes of football for his new club.

Barcola was omitted from the PSG squad while talks were held with Liverpool, meaning he needs time to build match sharpness on Merseyside.

The France international has created just two chances in his five appearances so far this season - a return he will look to improve upon following the international break.

With a game built around pace, Barcola thrives when he has space to run into - meaning he may enjoy playing in Liverpool’s next fixture against Man City.

City will look to open up and dominate possession at Anfield, meaning gaps could open up for Barcola and Liverpool to exploit on the break.

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Written by

Matthew Judge | Editor

Matthew Judge is a freelance sports writer from Liverpool, United Kingdom. He has worked for/had words published by WSL Football (WSL & WSL2), Everton Football Club, The Independent, Daily Mirror, Stats Perform, Goal and Squawka, among others.

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