Barcola says Liverpool move is about creating his own legacy, not replacing Salah

Bradley Barcola says he is determined to establish his own identity at Liverpool rather than try to replace club legend Mohamed Salah.

The France winger moved to Liverpool from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer for a deal worth up to 145m euros, including bonuses. However, Barcola says he has yet to produce his best form since arriving at Anfield.

“I don’t think I’ve reached my best level yet, so you haven’t seen the best version of me,” he told Sky Sports. “We are also working with my team-mates so they can make better use of my strengths.”

Barcola believes his performances will improve as he develops a stronger understanding with Liverpool’s players.

“Once we really improve our understanding, things will get much better,” he said. “I feel that there is constant progress. The players are beginning to understand my style of play better and I think things are going very well.”

The 145m-euro fee has brought expectations, particularly following Salah’s departure from Liverpool last summer, but Barcola said he did not feel under pressure to compensate for the Egypt forward.

“First of all, I didn’t decide the value of my transfer, so that is not a problem for me,” he said.

On Salah, Barcola added: “Mohamed Salah is a legend here – a very big legend. He did great things for this club and I have huge respect for him, but I don’t feel any pressure because of that.

“I am not Mohamed Salah. I will try to give everything I can to help the club and make my own mark in its history. I don’t feel any pressure about this.”

Why Barcola left Paris Saint-Germain

Barcola said his decision to leave Paris Saint-Germain was based on a desire for a new challenge after a successful spell in the French capital.

“For me, it was the right time to leave Paris Saint-Germain,” he said. “I had some great years there and won a huge number of trophies, but it was time to move on.”

He admitted the departure was difficult because of the close relationships he had formed at the club.

“It was extremely hard because the atmosphere there was like a family,” Barcola said. “We built something very special together and it was difficult to say goodbye to my team-mates, but that is football.”

The opportunity to join Liverpool quickly convinced him to make the move.

“When a club the size of Liverpool contacts you, it is fantastic,” he said. “I had no doubts and knew I had to come here. I am happy to be with the team and hope things go well for Paris Saint-Germain.”

Barcola also reflected on Liverpool’s recent 1-0 defeat by Arsenal, saying the result had not changed the team’s ambitions but that their performance needed to improve.

“We had chances to score and even win the match,” he said. “We need to control games more and play better football. We often resort to long balls in matches of this level, but we should try to keep the ball on the ground more because we have players with the quality to do that.”

“We were very disappointed afterwards, but we know what we need to improve. We will not give up, and other teams will drop points too, so we must remain consistent until the end of the season.”