Liverpool did the unthinkable last summer. They convinced Newcastle United to part ways with Alexander Isak. Yes, it cost them a British record £125million and yes, the Sweden international arrived lacking match fitness having ruled himself out of a real pre-season to force through a move.
It set the Premier League champions back. The fee was excessive and the Reds found themselves at a bit of a disadvantage as they tried to get their new No9 up to speed while the season was already under way.
But in the process, Liverpool had bagged themselves the best centre-forward in the country - at least last season. Isak outscored Erling Haaland (23 to 22) and the Sweden international had 44 across his last two domestic campaigns. The 26-year-old was a ruthless penalty box presence, something the Reds lacked outside of Mohamed Salah. And with the Egyptian heading into his mid-30s, a long-term successor was needed.
They’d initially gambled on Darwin Nunez being that guy but that hadn’t paid off. As far as guarantees in football go, Isak was as close to a sure thing as could be with over 50 goals in just 86 league games for Newcastle. In theory, there’d be no adaptation time needed. He’d arrive, score goals and win games.
It’s safe to say that it hasn’t really panned out that way.
We’re heading into May and Isak has just three Premier League goals for the season. Granted, he’s missed a lot of football through injury - a leg break in December ruled him out for the best part of four months - but it’s still a long way short of what had been envisaged when his move from Newcastle was confirmed late in the summer transfer window.
As a result, he has just 680 Premier League minutes to his name as a Liverpool player. And they’ve been fairly lacklustre minutes, too. He’s managed just 17 shots, six shots on target and has an expected goals (xG) haul of just 2.63. Perhaps more alarmingly is the fact he’s had just 26 touches in the opposition penalty box.
Dig a little deeper and look at these on a per 90 basis, albeit the sample size is small, and it looks even worse. Isak has averaged just 2.2 shots and a little over three touches inside the penalty box. He has an xG per 90 average of 0.35. For context, last season, the Swede averaged 3.2 shots, had an xG per 90 average of 0.66 and was averaging almost seven touches in the opposition box.
Liverpool have struggled to get their record purchase involved in the right areas. There’s no hiding from that. Arne Slot acknowledged it back in December after Isak managed just 14 touches against Sunderland.
“He is not the only No 9 who suffers in some games from not getting many chances. At this level it’s not like the No 9 is involved in eight, nine, 10 chances every single half. But it is obvious and clear that we want to bring him into more threatening situations.
“Before we went to only one goal conceded in two games [West Ham and Sunderland] we had a lot of chances. Because we are a little bit more compact and not taking as many risks, we have not been able to create as many chances as all of the games before. It is definitely one of the things on my list of things to improve to get our No 9 more involved in the game and more involved in the final third.
“Alex could benefit maybe from a Conor Bradley or a Jeremie Frimpong type of player who goes outside, instead of both wingers we have who come inside and full-backs who can come in with crosses.
“But the main difference for him is that we are facing a low block many times. It is not that it never happened at Newcastle but not as much, I think. This season the league has changed, we see so many more low blocks than last season. But I see this not only against us, I see this in many games.
"It makes it harder for him compared to his time at Newcastle but I think it is also him adjusting to his team-mates and his team-mates adjusting to him. But it is obvious and clear that we have not the profile of [Newcastle’s] Jacob Murphy, for example, available at this moment at this time.”
Liverpool are reportedly looking to address this squad weakness in the summer. Yan Diomande has been linked with a move to Anfield and his directness and aggressive ball carrying on the flank would likely carve out space and opportunities for Isak.
The Reds have also been linked with Abde Ezzalzouli, Bazoumana Touré, Mika Godts, Michael Olise and Bradley Barcola. All share a number of traits, with the profile seeming to be one that will get the best out of Isak.
It makes the most sense too. You don’t spend £125million on a player, give them a £280,000-per-week deal and then have them feeding off of scraps. Liverpool want Isak involved in the right areas.
Despite his limited involvement this term, he has shown what he can do. His three goals give a blueprint of how best to service him.
Against Crystal Palace recently, he reacted quickest to a situation. He brilliantly controlled Alexis Mac Allister’s driven shot before showing great composure to volley a left-footed effort past Dean Henderson. In the blink of an eye, and with just two touches, he opened the scoring out of nothing.
In the win over Spurs, he finished off a move with just one touch, rifling a left-footed effort into the net following a Florian Wirtz pass into the box. When Liverpool beat West Ham, Isak, again, scored with one-touch, diverting a Cody Gakpo pull-back into the corner.
The No9 doesn’t need touches galore to be impactful. He just needs touches in the penalty area. When Liverpool get the ball to him, he’s a problem. The problem for the Reds, however, is that they aren’t able to do it on a regular basis.
If they can sort this in the final few weeks of the season, a big few weeks as Liverpool face Manchester United, Aston Villa, Chelsea and Brentford in their quest for a place in the Champions League, there are foundations for a successful, goal-filled 2026/27 campaign for Isak.
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