Darwin Nunez to bring chaos factor back to Liverpool? Reds legend John Barnes explains what Andoni Iraola needs from first summer & transfer window at Anfield

When Jurgen Klopp was delivering ‘heavy metal football’ - which resulted in Premier League and Champions League title triumphs - enigmatic South American forward Nunez was added to the ranks when completing a £64 million ($84m) transfer from Benfica in 2022.

He registered 40 goals through 143 appearances, but never truly convinced and was - due to his energetic performances - more of a cult hero than a true fan favourite. A lucrative contract in the Middle East was signed when joining Cristiano Ronaldo and Co in that part of the world during the summer window of 2025.

A tough time has been endured in Saudi Arabia, with foreign-player limits seeing Nunez dropped from Al-Hilal’s domestic squad. He has been cleared to find a new club, with it being suggested that his career path may wind back towards England.

Quizzed on whether the 26-year-old could still have a role to play at Anfield, Reds icon Barnes - speaking in association with viagogo and their ‘World Cuts’ campaign - told GOAL: “Not if Iraola doesn't want to play in that way. If he says, ‘I want to play in that way’, which Darwin Nunez will fit, then maybe so. But if he says, ‘I don't want to play in a chaotic fashion’, then Darwin Nunez is not meant to come back.

“It's not Jurgen Klopp. If Jurgen Klopp was there, he may say we want him back. Then maybe that would be the situation. In fact, he left when Jurgen Klopp was there anyway. So I don't know what the situation is with him.

“But what we have to do, the new manager, however he wants to play, quick, slow, chaotic, non-chaotic, slow in possession, dynamic, heavy metal, we have to do what the manager wants and back him. We can't live on the Jurgen Klopp legacy and say we have to go back to that.

“So Mo [Salah] was wrong in terms of what he said about non-negotiables, we have to play in this particular way. We have to give the manager his chance and say, however he wants to play, he's going to pick the players and we're going to back him.

“[Mikel] Arteta finished eighth in his first year, eighth in his second year, fifth in his third year. They backed him. You can see the outcome. Owners and chief executives and hierarchy don't sack managers, fans do. And the fans, unfortunately, lost faith in Arne Slot. So the decision had to be taken.

“Now if Iraola loses two or three matches in the first month, are we then going to sack him? Because when Man United got David Moyes, who's a good manager, went to Man United, because he didn't do what Fergie did, they got rid of him. Then Louis van Gaal, ‘Fergie would have done it this way’, they got rid of him. Jose Mourinho, ‘Fergie would have done it this way’.

“If you're going to hold on to Jurgen Klopp’s legacy, we're not going to get a manager who is going to come to Liverpool and be successful. Forget about that. Whichever manager comes in, we back him in whichever way he wants to play - slow, fast, quick, heavy metal, chaos, whatever. He makes the decisions, not the legacy of the past.”

Liverpool have seen Egyptian superstar Mohamed Salah, French defender Ibrahima Konate and Scottish full-back Andy Robertson depart as free agents. Additions are clearly required, but Barnes said when asked about what is needed: “When Arne Slot came, we signed [Federico] Chiesa and [Wataru] Endo, who didn't play and we won the league. So is the solution to sign players?

“We signed four players, £400 million, but that didn't work. Is the solution to the problem signing players? We have enough players. We have good enough players. Now, if we need a centre-back, we get a centre-back.

“I don't see the solution to this problem being signing players. If we sign a player and we talk about [Yan] Diomande coming, what's going to happen to [Rio] Ngumoha? We're going to set him back.

“So for me, we've got enough players now. If we can get better players and the manager wants more, fine. But for me, I think the players we have are good enough. We have to trust them. We have to trust the manager and get on with it.”

It remains to be seen who, if anyone, Liverpool will bring in this summer and whether Nunez - who is now sporting a braided look at the 2026 World Cup - forms part of those plans.

To celebrate FIFA World Cup 2026 and bring fans closer to the culture, nostalgia and personalities that define the tournament, viagogo – the world's leading live event ticket marketplace – launched World Cuts, a one-of-a-kind barber shop experience recreating some of football's most iconic hairstyles.

The free two-day experience took place at Ruffians Barber Shop in Shoreditch, where fans could choose their footballing hero and leave transformed with a legendary tournament-inspired look.

To mark the launch, Manchester United superfan United Strand (Frank Ilett) finally ended his hair-growing marathon and swapped his lengthy locks for three iconic World Cup-inspired styles from the tournament - recreating Carlos Valderrama’s legendary curls to David Beckham’s unforgettable mohawk and Chris Waddle’s classic mullet.