Alexander Isak for Liverpool
Is this the year of Alexander Isak for Liverpool?
Now that Mohamed Salah has drawn down the curtain on his legendary Anfield career, Liverpool need to find a new source of strength in attack, and Isak, signed from Newcastle United for a still-standing £125m record fee, is regarded as one of the best strikers in the world.
Well, opinion has shifted somewhat following his wretched first year on Merseyside. The 26-year-old scored three goals in the Premier League last season, starting only eight times for Arne Slot's sinking side.
||
Premier League - Top Scorers since Isak's Debut
Player
Erling Haaland
Mohamed Salah
Ollie Watkins
Alexander Isak
Bryan Mbeumo
But he remains a phenomenon, considered when joining Liverpool to be a world-class scorer with more in his locker than, say, Erling Haaland. Now, it's up to Andoni Iraola to get the best out of this mercurial talent.
How Isak can become a success at Liverpool
Isak broke his leg in December and was ruled out until the end of the campaign. Upon return, his impact was minimal. The truth is that it was a wretched year for the Swedish striker, but his performances at the World Cup offer hope.
Liverpool surely need him at his best. Isak is a mobile and fearless striker, impossible to predict. It helps that he is also a lethal finisher, still the second-most clinical goalscorer in the Premier League since his debut, behind only that man Haaland, and edging Salah.
Liverpool's Alexander Isak celebrates scoring their first goal
Iraola's front-footed system will suit him. Isak demonstrates a degree of physicality but is not a brutish number nine. He is 6 foot 3, long and limber, and much rides on his form for the Liverpool persuasion this season.
After all, for Newcastle, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher believed he was "the best striker in the Premier League".
Liverpool will hope to hit a late jackpot on Isak, but they need to be tactful this summer, and strengthen in a way which could assist them, should he fail to return to former heights. Hugo Ekitike is sidelined until Christmas - at the earliest - let's not forget.
Isak is the real deal, but after Ekitike had been signed last summer, the big-money splurge on his signature came at the expense of a more immediate concern: adding an elite left winger to the ranks.
That's being sorted now, but what out the other wing?
Liverpool in club-to-club talks for the next Isak
Liverpool are taking shape under Iraola's wing, but there's no question that more is needed to put their many problems to rights. With Isak's form uncertain, Ekitike out, and Salah no longer on the books, it's no surprise that strengthening in attack has formed FSG's summer strategy.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool are in club-to-club talks with Paris Saint-Germain for French winger Bradley Barcola, with it said that they "want to bid" for the 23-year-old, who has rejected a contract extension and is determined to explore a move to Merseyside this summer.
Bradley Barcola is the subject of strong interest from Liverpool. Liverpool want to bid for Barcola. Liverpool are talking to PSG and the agents of the player. Liverpool are not paying €170m (£145m), so they need to find a reasonable pricing.
PSG winger Bradley Barcola
There's a lot of excitement in the air regarding Barcola's proposed transfer to Liverpool, but it all comes down to the price tag, and whether PSG are willing to show leniency and cut down their exorbitant demands.
It would appear that they are. Luis Enrique's side are closing in on signing Mika Godts from Ajax, a young and gifted winger who is ostensibly being brought in to cover Barcola's departure.
||
PSG Top Scorers (24/25 - 25/26)
Player
Ousmane Dembele
Bradley Barcola
Goncalo Ramos
Desire Doue
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
The France international, 23, has been a sensation in his homeland, blooming with Lyon before achieving superstar status in the capital, a core part of one of Europe's all-time great teams.
He is fleet-footed and artful on the ball, rangy and deadly in front of goal. Barcola and Isak are clearly not the same player, but there are similarities, not only in their respective playing styles, but their capacity to thrill and the fact they would be marquee arrivals at Anfield without plugging the biggest hole.
Barcola simply isn't the perfect Salah replacement. He is not a right-sided winger, and though Iraola favours wide forwards who can operate on both sides - with Victor Munoz another example there - there's a growing sense that the Reds need to find someone else to take their place on the right flank.
Given that Liverpool are going to have to cough up a figure exceeding £100m, do they still have the means to achieve this, while strengthening in the middle of the park and perhaps assessing their shaky defensive situation too?
A lot for FSG to ponder. Targeting Barcola is a good call, but he's not the answer to all of the club's problems - in the same way that Isak was not the perfect solution last year when he arrived for a record sum.
REUTERS/Sam Navarro
All this is certainly not to say that Barcola won't thrive at Liverpool. He is regarded as one of the most talented wingers in the world, and adds much to Iraola's new system.
However, if we reach September and FSG have failed to secure a like-for-like Salah replacement, questions will surely be asked of the summer strategy, and whether it could jeopardise Iraola at the beginning of his reign.
Liverpool's Curtis Jones during the warm up before the match
Liverpool's Curtis Jones during the warm up before the match