Former Arsenal and France player Emmanuel Petit believes Liverpool overpaid for Barcola, who joined this summer, and bluntly stated that the winger is "overrated."

These remarks stem from the winger's difficult start at Anfield. Despite attracting considerable attention after his transfer from Paris Saint-Germain, he has yet to score or assist in his first few weeks with the club.

Barcola's impressive performances in both Ligue 1 and the Champions League for PSG led many to believe he could be a natural successor to Salah – at least in terms of team status, even if not an exact positional match. While he has demonstrated speed and dribbling ability, the 24-year-old has yet to put these skills together into a complete performance and is still awaiting his first goal or assist for the club.

Barcola's struggles continued in the 3-0 loss to Manchester City. In that match, with the score level, Liverpool had hoped to find a spark to truly ignite a period of positive play, but he failed to break open the opponent's defense and was among the weaker performers on the day. Such performances have raised concerns about his true level in the Premier League, especially when compared to other expensive signings for the team, though he still has time to adjust.

Even so, former Arsenal and France star Petit still believes Liverpool paid too much for a player who has not yet reached the expected standard.

Petit told TalkSport: "£120 million, I would never spend that, you know. We all know what he did in France. We all know he's a talented player; he could be good in the future, but he's not consistent enough in his game. He played well for most of his time at Paris (PSG) because he had the whole team behind him."

When asked if Liverpool overpaid for Barcola, he replied: "Absolutely. I would spend probably £60-70 million, maximum... Absolutely, that's my opinion. It's becoming increasingly common that English clubs spend a lot of money on overrated players."

These are undoubtedly harsh words for Barcola. While he is currently far from meeting expectations at Liverpool, he still has time, and some believe he will improve.

Liverpool's upcoming matches in the Premier League, Champions League, and EFL Cup may provide him with the opportunity to prove his doubters wrong, but this will require him to elevate his performance and demonstrate a clear impact on the game.

With Isak and Gakpo still sidelined through injury, Liverpool needs someone to step up, and Barcola will be hoping he is that person.

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