Bradley Barcola given brutal Liverpool nickname after dismal Premier League start

Bradley Barcola has been given a brutal but fitting nickname after an inauspicious start to his Liverpool career. Barcola was the Reds' marquee signing of the summer, joining from Paris Saint-Germain for £123m.

But the 24-year-old is yet to score or assist in 336 minutes of action across all competitions, and hasn't come particularly close to getting off the mark. Asked why he's failed to hit the ground running, Barcola pointed to an uptick in "intensity" in the Premier League compared to Ligue 1.

The games are end-to-end,"said Barcola. But that's also why I came here.

It's a new challenge for me to take on." He wasn't at all convincing in Liverpool's 3-0 defeat to Manchester City, and French journalist Daniel Riolo has seen enough to give Barcola a nickname. "Having a €145m transfer fee very often forces the coach to play you and take responsibility," he said on RMC Sport's After Foot.

"On Sunday, I saw Bambi (Barcola) again. He was dribbling on his tiptoes, barely pushing the ball." Ekitike in a 'different world' Barcola was the first big-money signing under Andoni Iraola, who replaced Arne Slot at the Anfield helm in the summer.

And commentator Walid Acherchour, who was also part of After Foot's panel, believes Barcola's slow start is in part down to the change of coach. "I'm worried, but he wanted this life: to break free from Luis Enrique's playing system,"Acherchour explained.

At Liverpool, he's in a team struggling with a change of coach and a change in style of play. He'll have to adapt to the Premier League, which is very tough.

Archerchour then compared Barcola's start to life of Liverpool with that of compatriot Hugo Ekitike, who was one of the Reds' best players in what was his debut season in 2025/26. He added: When you compare it to (Hugo) Ekitiké's start last year [season], it's like two completely different worlds.