Iraola determined to keep Mac Allister and Alisson at Liverpool this season
Coach aims to strengthen with Ekitiké and Bradley out Mac Allister has been linked with move to Real Madrid Andoni Iraola has said he is determined to keep Alexis Mac Allister and Alisson for his first season as Liverpool head coach and must strengthen a...
Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola has said he wants Alexis Mac Allister and Alisson to remain part of his squad for the coming season, as he prepares for his first campaign in charge and looks to reinforce a team missing several players through injury and absence.
According to a monitored public feed from The Guardian Football, Iraola is eager to keep the Argentina midfielder and the Brazil goalkeeper at the club despite outside interest. Mac Allister has recently been linked with a move to Real Madrid, but Iraola indicated that the 27-year-old remains central to Liverpool’s plans and is expected to stay at Anfield this season.
The report said Iraola, speaking in Chicago at the start of Liverpool’s pre-season tour of the United States, acknowledged that Mac Allister is unlikely to be fully ready for the Premier League opener at Newcastle because of a post-World Cup holiday. Even so, the head coach was said to have moved quickly to calm any speculation about the midfielder’s longer-term future, with Mac Allister under contract until 2028.
The squad situation is also being shaped by the absence of Hugo Ekitiké and Conor Bradley, who will both be out for several more months. That leaves Iraola with a need to strengthen depth before the season begins, particularly as he settles into the job and assesses the balance of his first Liverpool side.
Alisson is also understood to be part of those plans, with Iraola determined not to lose one of the team’s most experienced figures as preparations continue in the US. The emphasis on retaining key players comes at a time when Liverpool are trying to manage both immediate fitness issues and wider transfer uncertainty.
The monitored feed did not provide further detail on potential incoming signings, but it made clear that Iraola’s immediate priority is to hold onto core squad members while navigating an early stretch of the season that could be affected by player availability.
This article is based on a monitored public feed and attributes reporting to The Guardian Football. Source: The Guardian Football - https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jul/21/andoni-iraola-liverpool-alexis-mac-allister-alisson-next-season
