Iraola on transfer plans, Alisson's future and Szoboszlai's new deal

Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola has been speaking to the media in Chicago as the Reds begin their pre-season tour of the USA. Here are the key lines from his news conference: On the importance of pre-season, Iraola said: "Pe-season is always the foundation of what's going to be a long season. When you arrive to a new club it's even more important because you don't have a lot of training sessions, you don't have a lot of even friendlies. It's massive because sometimes we lack days of training properly, of training with all the group of players, so everything that we can get from every friendly we play, we have to use it properly." Asked about his wishes for the remainder of the transfer window, he said: "I think it's difficult to say a number when the market is open, and you have to be always open to new options to improve the squad. A winger, for example – we definitely need to sign a winger. But there are other situations that we will have to analyse what the market gives you, what's the cost, how we also see the players we have. So, it will depend on a lot of things." Iraola was asked about goalkeeper Alisson's uncertain future: "I'm very happy with the situation we have right now in the goalkeeping area. We have Alisson, we have Giorgi [Mamardashvili]. We are going to send on loan, for example, Armin [Pecsi]. Alisson is someone also in a changing room that has lost some references in terms of experience, I think he's someone that definitely will help us in this process of adaptation of the new signings, of the new players, the young players." Is right-back an area to address?: "I think it depends on Conor's [Bradley] situation. At the end if you have a fully fit, healthy Conor Bradley, we are very happy, ready to go and we would not be asking ourselves these questions. I think it's a situation that is tricky, because we trust Conor in the long term, we know we want him to be our right-back but right now he is still, I would say, a little bit far from returning." On Dominik Szoboszlai's new contract: "I think this is one of the probably greatest news since I arrived, his commitment to this club, his contract renewal. Also, he has come in a great shape. He has been leading by example in training, he's pushing a lot. I think young players should be looking at him, the way he is training and he competes." Iraola said he will address the club's vice-captaincy later in pre-season, with the role vacant after the departure of Andy Robertson: "I still haven't met almost half of the squad, I still haven't seen them face-to-face. But I always say, you don't need to wear an armband to be a leader, to be a captain." Got a question about Liverpool? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts [BBC]