Alexander Isak concern emerges already at Liverpool after what happened 1,000 miles away
Alexander Isak has finally moved to Liverpool after long-winded saga saw him frozen out at Newcastle.
Isak joined Liverpool for £125million, breaking the British transfer record fee they set for Florian Wirtz just months earlier.
Newcastle held out for Isak for so long yet once they got their replacement in Yoane Wissa, it was clear that Isak would be allowed to move to Liverpool.
However, Isak has not played football since 25 May, and he was dealt a further blow to his fitness whilst on international duty with Sweden.
Alexander Isak an unused substitute in Sweden vs Slovenia
Sweden kicked off their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-2 draw in Slovenia, some 1,000 miles away from Isak’s new Anfield home.
Isak was in line to start for Sweden, yet manager Jon Dahl Tomasson opted to go with Viktor Gyokeres and Anthony Elanga up front, later confirming it was down to fitness reasons.
Isak is not match fit and he will need to be slowly integrated into the starting Liverpool lineup once the international break is over.
Isak’s injury record over the past three seasons is slightly concerning, with the forward missing 39 games since he joined Newcastle in 2022.
The 25-year-old has scored 16 goals in 52 caps for Sweden and his goalscoring record at club level is even more impressive.
| Team | Appearances | Goals |
| AIK (2015 – 2017) | 29 | 13 |
| Borussia Dortmund (2017 – 2019) | 13 | 1 |
| Willem II (loan) – (Jan 2019 – Jun 2019) | 18 | 14 |
| Real Sociedad (2019 – 2022) | 132 | 44 |
| Newcastle United (2022 – 2025) | 109 | 62 |
There’s no doubt that Isak is a top-class forward, but whether he can hit the ground running at Liverpool despite his lack of match fitness is an entirely different question.
Arne Slot must choose who starts between Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike
Slot must choose whether to start Isak, or keep the in-form Ekitike in the starting line-up.
The likely outcome will be that Isak will start the majority of games, with both strikers rotating between domestic and European matches.
However, Ekitike is essentially undroppable at this moment in time, and it should be expected that he starts Liverpool’s next match against Burnley.
Ekitike has scored three goals in four games for Liverpool, and his move from Frankfurt looks to be a smart piece of recruitment despite costing £69m.
Liverpool now have two premium strikers and it will be interesting to see how Slot manages their workloads whilst keeping both players happy.
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