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Iraola wants Alisson and Mac Allister to stay as Liverpool woo new investors
21/07/2026
Chicago, USA
21/07/2026
Chicago, USA
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00Afternoon. If you'd like to ask questions, please raise your hand. We'll get through as many as we can.
00:07Everyone, let's go first. One over here.
00:09One over here.
00:12You've had a few weeks with the team. How have you seen the players?
00:16How have you seen the team?
00:20Yes, good afternoon.
00:23It's a mix of players from the first team that hasn't been in the world.
00:28But for us, they can do the whole process of pre-temporada.
00:34There are also more young players that we want to see.
00:38We want to see the players from the Premier League.
00:42And it will give us an important information for the definitive team.
00:49The team has only one week of training.
00:54We need to work on a lot of things.
00:57We probably won't get prepared for the first game against Sunderland.
01:01But that will also help us to improve.
01:05Because we're going to see errors.
01:06We're going to see things that are still going to be done.
01:08And many times, those errors of now, serve to learn.
01:16James?
01:17Hi, Claudio.
01:18You've flown out here with a youthful squad.
01:20At what point in the trip are you expecting ISAC to join us?
01:26Yes, as you said, the three players that are going to join us will be like second week fully with
01:34us.
01:37I think I've decided no with the ones that have been left out or have been disqualified from the World
01:43Cup.
01:43They all have like, because of different reasons, like individual days for their arrivals.
01:50And I think the sooner we can start working with them and they can understand what we want from them,
01:58the better.
01:58I individually talk to the three of them.
02:02They know the main things, but I'm looking forward to have them here with the group
02:09and to go slowly, slowly recovering bodies, yes.
02:13And just with Virgil, Cody and Alex, is that why they won't be involved on this tour?
02:18If that's the case, what's the thinking behind that?
02:21Yes, they will, in terms of days of training, will be very similar.
02:26But they will start training just at the AXA, Liverpool.
02:31We thought, because of different reasons, especially Virgil, because he has been the player with more minutes in Europe, I
02:41would say.
02:41And I think they are going to start, and Cody also for other reasons, and they are going to start
02:47training basically the same week as the others.
02:50But instead of making them come here with the team, I consider that it was sensible with them not to
02:58start the first week training in a small group,
03:01or even with younger players there at the AXA and join us when we recover this.
03:10There's a few players that are injured. How far into the season are you expecting the likes of TK, Bradley,
03:18Leone, and all these such people?
03:20Yes, right now we have different situations in terms of injuries, the three that you said that are big, big
03:29injuries,
03:29that it's taking them months to recover, and then apart from those three we have Stefan and Guattaro that are
03:39close to getting to training with the group.
03:44They will start in this, even in this tour, Stefan and Guattaro training, not fully maybe, but partially with the
03:50group.
03:51With the others we'll have to wait more. In terms of order I think the closest one to return is
03:57Leone,
03:57after it will be Conor and Hugo, but especially the last two, still we are talking about months and still
04:07a lot of time out, yes.
04:09Coach, I have a founding leader group, which is how important are these friendlies during this summer,
04:15just for you to gain a better understanding about your new club and also the players to earn your respect
04:20for their final pitch?
04:24I think the pre-season is always the foundation of what's going to be a long season.
04:31But when you arrive to a new club it's even more important because you don't have a lot of training
04:35sessions,
04:36you don't have a lot of even friendlies. We are playing five friendlies before the season starts,
04:41so every training session, every pre-season friendly for us is massive.
04:47It's massive because sometimes we lack days of training properly, of training with all the group of players,
04:54so everything that we can get from every friendly we play, we have to use it properly
05:00because we want to arrive in a good spot on the first day of the season and at the end
05:07the best training is always the friendlies you play.
05:11So, my name is Nani.
05:13Hello, Coach. Miss Jiménez, para la GRAND 107.5.
05:17Bienvenido a Chicago.
05:18Muchas gracias.
05:19Bienvenido a esta ciudad y preguntarte,
05:22formas parte de este grupo de técnicos españoles, reconocidos,
05:26que están triunfando,
05:27vemos ahora que vemos ahora al campo del mundo, Luis Alvante,
05:31que cuartĂa, ahora tĂş,
05:33What do you think about the Spanish school that has been in the world and putting it into your country?
05:44First, for me, it's a pleasure to come to Chicago.
05:47The last year I was with the Bournemouth, I was here two weeks.
05:51In that case, we were training at the University of Illinois.
05:57It was a pleasure to be here, in this city.
06:00With Liverpool, we have to come here again and play a lot of levels.
06:07In terms of the question of the Spanish técnicos, I think that Spain, in the last 20-30 years,
06:13has shown, especially in the collective sport, that it is probably the best team of the best.
06:20And that comes from a culture that we have lived many years ago,
06:25which is shown where you put the group on top, the team on top.
06:32Maybe they are not the most brilliant individuals,
06:37but the group is always having a very important rendition.
06:41And, well, those results, I think, are a consequence of that base,
06:46that they are doing from small and that is giving results.
06:50First, I think, you have a great job of the CERN Bancos.
06:53You are experiencing a team practically in the United States.
06:56You have seen some great figures in the United States of Mo Salah.
06:59How are you facing this challenge?
07:00Yes, for me it is a very important challenge,
07:05in terms of that I have never trained a team of this level,
07:09with these expectations, with these expectations.
07:12And then, in a moment where there have been released
07:16from very important players,
07:18that have been a captain of this club in the last few years,
07:22but, at the end, the football is not waiting for anyone.
07:27Here we have to be continually evolving.
07:32The club is also working on incorporating new players
07:35to be able to support the important players that have been released.
07:40And, well, in my case, I am more centred
07:41in knowing the players that are now with us,
07:45in how to be able to strengthen them,
07:47to be able to make them the maximum rendition
07:49and get prepared for this end of the season.
07:56You've obviously had some big main players in Mexico
07:58since the end of the last season.
08:00You said last week you know that you need to add on to this group.
08:04Just wondering, do you have a number on how many you need
08:07and have there been any progress on that since the last week?
08:10No, I think it is difficult to say a number when the market is open.
08:14And you have to be always open to new options to improve the squad.
08:20And there are obvious situations that we know that we need to sign players,
08:28winger, for example.
08:29We definitely need to sign a winger.
08:32But there are other situations that we will have to analyse
08:36what the market gives you, what's the cost,
08:40how we also see the players we have.
08:45We have some, I said the other day, some tricky positions
08:47where we have injured players that we trust
08:51but still not the ideal situation.
08:55So it will depend a little bit of a lot of things.
09:19I'm very happy with the situation we have right now in the goalkeeping area.
09:24I think we have Alisson, we have Georgie,
09:30and now we are going to send on, for example, Armin,
09:34keepers that probably are in other phases
09:38but have the guarantee of those keepers that already,
09:44because of different reasons also, the three of them,
09:47even Freddie played some games past season,
09:49I think it's a guarantee for us.
09:52Alisson is someone also in a changing room
09:55that has lost some references in terms of experience.
09:59I think it's someone that definitely will help us
10:02in this process of adaptation of the new signings,
10:07of the new players, the young players.
10:10We need the references like Virgil, like Alisson, like Joe Gomez,
10:14players that have been here during a long time
10:18and I'm sure we will have this help, yes.
10:22We've seen in recent years that a lot of players' form
10:25can be affected by long summers, tournaments in the World Cup last year,
10:29for example.
10:30Are you confident that all your guys who played in the World Cup
10:32will be available when the Premier League season starts?
10:35Is that something you have to deal with carefully
10:37to make sure they can get a full Premier League season in?
10:41Yes, at the end I think the most difficult situations logically
10:46will be Alexis and Victor, because they've played until the end of the tournament,
10:51so basically I think they deserve the holidays also, some rest,
10:58and I hope they have time, at least to train with us a little bit,
11:03but it's true that it will probably affect a little bit the beginning of the season.
11:08But we cannot only think in the short term,
11:10in the first game against Newcastle,
11:12we have to also understand, especially in the case of Alexis,
11:17who has played a lot of minutes during the season,
11:18a lot of minutes in the World Cup, that they deserve this rest.
11:23But I would say all the others should be fine to arrive in perfect conditions
11:30to the first game, yes.
11:33Hi Andy, you mentioned Conor and said he's a way of returning
11:36right back despite a problematic position last season,
11:40there were a lot of injuries, a lot of different players playing there.
11:43Is it something that you want to maybe address in the moment field,
11:45or do you think it's something that you could do internally?
11:50I think it depends on the Conor situation.
11:53At the end, if you have a fully fit, healthy Conor Bradley,
11:58we are very happy, ready to go,
12:00and we would not be asking ourselves these questions, no?
12:04I think it's a situation that is tricky,
12:09because we trust Conor in the long term,
12:12we know we want him to be our right-back,
12:18but right now he's still, I would say, a little bit far from returning.
12:26So with the centre-back, with the right-back situations,
12:29in terms of defensive depth, we are, I think, very thin right now,
12:33so I think it's a solution that we are trying to find, yes.
12:50Sorry, I didn't understand the name. Who are you talking about?
12:54Ah, okay, sure, yes.
12:55Yeah, I think he could be, you know, a future captain,
12:58or serving a leadership role, you know?
13:02I think it's one of the probably greatest news since I arrived, no?
13:08His commitment to this club, his contract renewal,
13:11also he has come in great shape.
13:14He has been leading by example in trainings, he's pushing a lot.
13:18I think young players should be looking at him,
13:22the way he's training, he competes,
13:27and definitely has to be one of our leaders, no?
13:30Looking forward, and I'm looking forward to have him in my team,
13:34to try to use him in the best way,
13:37try to help him feel comfortable,
13:39and try to make him continue the same way he's having,
13:46because I think he had a very good season past season,
13:49and even, if we can, even improve what he's already doing.
14:09Yeah, I will address, because I still haven't met almost half of the squad,
14:14you know, I still haven't seen them face-to-face,
14:16so I think we will take the decisions when it happens,
14:22but I always say, you don't need to wear an armband to be a leader,
14:25to be a captain.
14:28Sometimes I understand here, in England it has a lot of meaning,
14:32there is a lot behind,
14:34but I've had a lot of captains, leaders,
14:37without wearing the armband, you know?
14:39One thing is, okay, to be there is nice in the picture and this,
14:43but you can lead a team, you can be an important player,
14:48you can be, not just because one wears,
14:51it has to be like, no, no, we need more than one or two vice-captains,
14:55we need a lot of captains in the pitch,
14:57we need as many as we want, as we can, sorry,
15:00and yes, I'm sure that whatever the decisions we take in terms of the armband,
15:09a lot of players will continue leading, yes.
15:30I think Alexis has been one of the best players of the club last year,
15:35has done a very good World Cup,
15:39and it's normal that other clubs want our best players,
15:45our good players,
15:46it always happens in all the markets,
15:47but I want to also, as other clubs want,
15:51I want to keep my good players,
15:54probably I'm looking forward more to signing new players
15:58than losing the ones we have, yes.
16:02Hey coach, speaking of Spain,
16:05I know that there could be five coaches now in the Premier League,
16:09I think, who stay in the season,
16:10and friends with Xavi Alonso,
16:13how special is it to have him as a competitor,
16:17and you know, also a ten,
16:19to be from this gaming area of best?
16:22Yes, they are both very good friends,
16:24we know each other since we were seven, eight, nine,
16:27we've played in the same team,
16:28so it's a pleasure for me to compete against them,
16:35they are also very good coaches,
16:37and the competition will be hard,
16:41but I think it's nice for all of us, no?
16:44Obviously, now that we are fighting
16:47and we are in charge of very good clubs,
16:52probably we will not communicate as much,
16:55you know, everyone will do it their way, their job,
17:00but for me it's a pleasure to fight against Manaiers
17:05that I consider also Francis.
17:08Thank you everyone.
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