Andoni Iraola's Interest in McConnell and Koumas at Liverpool
Andoni Iraola has barely had time to hang his jacket at Liverpool, but he already knows two names he does not want to lose sight of: James McConnell and Lewis Koumas.
The Spaniard has been struck by the pair’s progress, according to journalist Alan Nixon, and is seriously considering pulling them closer to the first-team picture next season. For two players who spent last year on the fringes and out on loan, the shift in status is significant.
From loan afterthoughts to serious contenders
McConnell, 21, has quietly been building a case for himself. The midfielder has 13 senior appearances for Liverpool, but under former boss Arne Slot he was never trusted to play regularly and was shipped out to Ajax in the summer of 2025 to continue his education.
Koumas, a year younger, has had an even more fragmented route. The Wales international can operate wide or through the middle and has just a single Liverpool appearance to his name. His recent seasons have been a carousel of loans at Stoke City, Birmingham City and Hull City. Slot did not use him once during his tenure and turned to McConnell only four times.
That backdrop makes Nixon’s information all the more striking. Writing on Patreon, he reported that Iraola has “taken a shine” to the academy graduates in his first days at the club, noting that while there is strong loan interest again, the new manager is leaning towards promoting them into his senior squad and involving them more regularly.
The impression from inside the camp is clear: their time away from Anfield has hardened them, sharpened them, and they are now earning “serious respect” from the man in charge.
Lessons in defeat
That admiration surfaced around a far less enjoyable topic for Iraola: Liverpool’s 4-2 defeat to Leeds United in a pre-season friendly on Sunday.
The scoreline was not what he wanted. The performance, though, told him plenty.
“I think we learn a lot of things,” he said afterwards. “Obviously it’s not the result you want but I think [it was] probably the most useful friendly we played – in a positive way in the first half and in a negative way in the second half.
“I think we’ve learned a lot from today and I think we can take good conclusions and solve some things.”
Liverpool showed both sides of a team under construction. Bright and cohesive before the break, exposed and disjointed after it. For a coach in his first pre-season at a club of this size, that contrast becomes valuable data.
First glimpses of the new era
The Leeds game also offered a first look at some of the headline names in Iraola’s squad. Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Ryan Gravenberch all made their first pre-season appearances.
“I think they did really good,” Iraola said. “They played their first 45 minutes.
“Obviously Florian and Alex, because they were playing in the first half, they had an easier game or a better game.
“Ryan, it was costly for him.”
The second half turned messy, and Gravenberch felt it. Jeremie Frimpong, meanwhile, had to come off, raising the first flicker of fitness concern of the summer.
“Jeremie asked for the sub [but] I don’t think it’s an injury,” Iraola explained. “It was just some overload and I hope he’s not injured in that way. I don’t think we’ve lost anyone.”
No damage, then, beyond the scoreboard and a few bruised egos.
A different kind of opportunity
Pre-season often flatters young players. A good cameo here, a tidy half there, and they are quietly sent back to the Under-21s or out on loan once the real football starts. What marks McConnell and Koumas out at this stage is not a viral clip or a single eye-catching display, but the manager’s insistence that they have “come on” during their time away and now command genuine respect.
They were previously “farmed out for experience with varying degrees of success.” Now, with Iraola watching closely, those same loans look like a launchpad rather than a holding pattern.
Liverpool’s squad already contains established stars and big-money signings. Competition will be fierce. Yet in the early days of a new regime, when ideas are fresh and reputations are not yet fixed, doors can open quickly.
McConnell and Koumas have forced theirs ajar. The coming weeks will reveal whether Iraola decides to fling it wide open and let them walk straight into the heart of his Liverpool project.
