Andoni Iraola Confirms Curtis Jones Exit as Cody Gakpo Stays Central to Liverpool Plans

Liverpool’s summer is beginning to take on the shape of a careful reordering. At one end, there is a departure with emotional weight. At the other, there is a reminder that some of the club’s most important attacking pieces remain firmly in view for the new head coach.

Andoni Iraola has now acknowledged that Curtis Jones is on his way to Inter Milan in a deal worth £30 million, a move that carries significance beyond the transfer fee. Jones had long represented a thread between academy and first team, a local player whose presence carried cultural value as much as tactical utility. His exit means Liverpool’s squad loses another familiar connection to its own city.

Curtis Jones exit reflects summer reality

Iraola’s explanation suggested a parting that had become apparent very quickly. “I talked to him on the first or second training, and I valued him a lot as a player,” Iraola explained. “He loves this club and that was very clear since the beginning, but I understood the outcome would be what it is in the end.

“Curtis is a very good player but I understood straight away that he has been in the same position for some years.

“It was a situation where (an exit) could happen and it looks like it is going to happen, yes.”

There is a certain clarity in that assessment. Iraola appears to have recognised both Jones’ quality and the player’s need for a different challenge. In that sense, the move feels less abrupt than inevitable, a conclusion reached by two sides who could see the same horizon.

Cody Gakpo importance grows before Newcastle

If Jones is heading out, Cody Gakpo seems ever more relevant to what Liverpool are trying to build. Tottenham remain interested in the forward, but Iraola’s words were those of a coach describing a player deeply embedded in his early ideas.

“Cody is performing well, and he has been since first day understanding everything we need,” Iraola added. “You can feel it straight away, he is smart, understands the game.

“He has been one of our best players in the friendlies, performing well. I cannot tell you the XI (for Newcastle), but he is in a good shape.”

That matters. Coaches of Iraola’s type value players who can absorb instruction quickly, interpret space instinctively and make attacking patterns cohere. Gakpo, on this evidence, has done precisely that, which makes any transfer discussion feel secondary for now.

Liverpool transfer plans continue to evolve

Liverpool are still working to add further options before the 1 September deadline, with Bradley Barcola among the names under consideration, while Yankuba Minteh and Ibrahim Mbaye have also been assessed. The balance is delicate, trimming the squad in one area while preserving enough attacking fluency in another.

The competitive start now arrives quickly. Liverpool open at Newcastle before Iraola’s first league game at Anfield against Nottingham Forest, part of a curious run in which each of the opening six Premier League fixtures comes against a side with a new head coach.

Iraola’s own sense of anticipation was plain. “I feel excited. I feel it in the atmosphere with the players that this week has been different to the friendlies.

“So I am looking forward to Sunday, to feel the pressure and the competition.”