The stats that show Barcola's strengthspublished at 09:36 BST 27 August
Mohamed Moallim
BBC Sport
Image source, Getty ImagesAt first glance, Bradley Barcola looks like the natural successor to Luis Diaz.
Liverpool chose not to sign a direct replacement after the Colombian's departure last summer, but the underlying data suggests the PSG forward could fill that void.
Opta's player similarity model rates the Frenchman as the winger whose output most closely resembled Diaz's across Europe's top five leagues in 2025-26 (78%), with Mohamed Salah (65%), Lamine Yamal (61%) and Vinicius Junior (61%) the next closest matches.
A closer look, however, suggests Liverpool would not simply be replacing one winger with another.
Barcola is a left winger by trade, having played almost all of his Champions League minutes for PSG on that flank, but his game is shaped by a centre-forward's instincts. He played as a striker until the age of 17, something reflected in his movement and shot selection.
Last season, he averaged 3.5 shots per 90 minutes in Ligue 1, placing him among the division's most active shooters despite operating from wide areas.
His 9.83 expected goals (xG) ranked in the 95th percentile among wingers across Europe's top five leagues, meaning only around 5% of wide players consistently found themselves in better goalscoring positions.
Barcola converted those chances into 11 league goals, outperforming his xG, while no PSG player or Ligue 1 winger recorded a higher xG total during the 2025-26 campaign.
