Glen Johnson dismisses Emmanuel Petit’s ‘overrated’ claim against French-Togolese forward Bradley Barcola

Former Liverpool defender Glen Johnson has defended Bradley Barcola against criticism from France World Cup winner Emmanuel Petit, insisting the winger is a “world class” talent despite his slow start at Anfield.

Petit recently questioned Liverpool’s decision to spend £123 million on the France international, describing the fee as excessive and suggesting English clubs were increasingly overpaying for overrated players.

However, Johnson believes the criticism has been misinterpreted, arguing that questioning a player’s transfer valuation is different from questioning his footballing ability.

Barcola joined Liverpool from Paris Saint-Germain on August 31 in a blockbuster transfer but has struggled to make an immediate impact, managing just two goals in 13 appearances for the Reds.

His difficult start continued on Wednesday when he struggled in an unfamiliar centre-forward position during Liverpool’s 3-2 defeat to Fenerbahce in Istanbul, ending their perfect start to the Champions League league phase.

The 23-year-old had previously delivered an outstanding performance in the competition, scoring a hat-trick in Liverpool’s 6-3 victory over LASK away from home. However, those goals remain his only significant return in front of goal since arriving at Anfield.

Johnson rejects ‘overrated’ tag

Petit, who won the 1998 FIFA World Cup with France, recently questioned whether Barcola justified the enormous transfer fee Liverpool paid to secure his services.

The former Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea midfielder acknowledged the winger’s quality but pointed to concerns about his consistency, suggesting that a considerably lower fee would have been more appropriate.

“£120m? I would never put that price tag on the table. We all know that in France.

“We know that he is a quality player, he could sometimes be great, but he doesn’t have consistency during games. He was good most of the time with Paris because of the whole team behind him.

“I would probably have spent £60m or £70m, maximum. That’s my opinion. It’s becoming common now that English clubs are spending so much money on overrated players.”

Johnson, however, disagrees with the suggestion that Barcola is overrated, describing himself as a long-time admirer of the winger’s ability.

The former England international, who made 200 appearances for Liverpool following his £17.5 million move from Portsmouth in June 2009, believes Petit was primarily questioning the financial value of the transfer rather than the player’s quality.

“I don’t think Barcola is overrated. I think he’s world class. I’ve been a fan of his for a long time. I think he’s brilliant,” Johnson said.

Johnson separates transfer fee from talent

Johnson explained that the debate surrounding Barcola’s valuation should not be confused with an assessment of his footballing ability.

He suggested that Petit was highlighting how other talented players could be available for considerably less money, rather than dismissing the Liverpool forward’s credentials.

“I think what Manu Petit is trying to say is that he wasn’t worth that money. I think that’s what he meant. There’s no doubt about his talent, his ability and obviously fans have the right to think whether he’s world class or not. That’s up to them.

“But I think what Manu was actually meaning was the fact that there’s some other players who are really good that are going for half the money.

“So I think he meant more of that, than actually being not as good as people say. Because that’s two different things.”

Johnson also revealed that he had hoped Liverpool would sign Barcola before his eventual move to Anfield, underlining his admiration for the Frenchman’s abilities.

He insisted that the financial implications of the transfer should not distract supporters from what the winger can bring to the team.

“You need the talent there to compete with each other. I was hoping Liverpool would sign him before. The financial stuff, that has nothing to do with us. We just want to see the best players at Liverpool and how they can get it done.”

The former defender believes competition for places will ultimately benefit Liverpool, with players required to maintain high standards to secure regular opportunities.

“And the best players will play. And the ones that aren’t playing have to improve. It can only be a good level of competition.”

Barcola will now be under pressure to translate his considerable potential into consistent performances as Liverpool look to get their Champions League campaign back on track and challenge across all competitions.