Alexander-Isak-Liverpool
It's becoming increasingly clear that Liverpool are the biggest threat to Arsenal's Premier League title this season, and they will consolidate that position by claiming three points against the Gunners on Sunday afternoon.
Manchester City are the best team in the country, but City are also charged with widespread cheating over so many years of City Football Group ownership, and a staggering, unprecedented points deduction before the end of the season is anything but improbable.
wirtz-brighton-liverpool
Andoni Iraola is recrafting this Anfield team, sculpting them back into a successful outfit capable of challenging for titles.
It helps, of course, that the Reds are studded with so many superstars, and the resurgence of Alexander Isak could prove the difference-maker for the club.
Why Alexander Isak is becoming Iraola's most important player
Isak's return to form in front of goal has been the difference-maker for a Liverpool side who are rebuilding but still some way away from full flow.
In the Premier League this season, he has scored six times from seven appearances, hitting with a 30% conversion rate. Excitingly, Isak still isn't at his finest level, and as he continues to build fluency and fitness as the spearhead of Iraola's system, we could see a world-class version of the 27-year-old in the near future.
Having parted with Mohamed Salah this summer, Isak's world-class form in front of goal was always going to be crucial at the start of the Iraola era. Hugo Ekitike is still sidelined after rupturing his Achilles against Paris Saint-Germain in April. He will do well to return before the end of the calendar year.
It should be no surprise that a fully-fit Isak makes a big difference at Anfield. He is deadly in front of goal, with a dynamic approach to the striker's craft which sets him apart from the bulk of prolific frontmen in the Premier League.
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Premier League: Top Scorers since Isak's Debut
Player
Erling Haaland
Mohamed Salah
Ollie Watkins
Alexander Isak
Bryan Mbeumo
Belatedly, he's becoming one of Liverpool's most important players, and FSG now want to hit the bullseye with consistency when returning to the market in 2027.
Liverpool in talks to make their best signing since Isak
Before the summer transfer window, Isak was nowhere near the kind of territory which would see him branded as a successful signing for Liverpool.
The Sweden international cost a record-breaking fee to bring over from Newcastle, and while the current campaign is still young, he's starting to show why Jamie Carragher hailed him as "the best striker in the Premier League" less than two years ago.
Liverpool-Isak
Now, Liverpool are hoping to pull off another top-class signing, landing someone who can stand out as one of the most impressive performers in this Liverpool side. They need look no further than Ronald Araujo, who is currently on loan at Anfield and could see his short-term stay made permanent in 2027.
That's according to Liverpool correspondent Lewis Steele, who has confirmed that the Reds are open to negotiating with Barcelona for a permanent deal for the 27-year-old which would fall beneath the £47m purchase option that was put into the deal that brought him over to the club this summer.
Liverpool defender Ronald Araujo
Liverpool defender Ronald Araujo
Araujo has had his troubles over the past several years in Spain, but he has been regarded as one of the world's top defenders in the past, and his performances under Iraola this season speak toward that.
Trey Nyoni has recently said that Araujo has "inspired everyone to fight". His leadership and tenacity has inspired a Reds backline that was both porous and ponderous last season.
In the Premier League, Araujo has displaced Jeremie Frimpong at right-back. It's not the 6 foot 3 star's natural position, but he's still won 65% of his duels across six league starts in England, also completing 80% of his dribbles and providing the kind of cover that Victor Munoz and Bradley Barcola need when looking to surge forward from the right flank.
Araujo might not be a steal at £47m, but if Julian Ward and the rest of Liverpool's officials can orchestrate a softer transfer fee, this could be the perfect signing to secure Iraoala's defensive rebuild at Anfield.
macallister-araujo-liverpool
Never fall in love with a loan player, they say. Well, when you're a Liverpool fan watching Ronald Araujo perform with the passion and pride of someone who gets what it means to serve the Anfield persuasion, it's hard not to watch the Uruguayan with adoring eyes.
Liverpool's Florian Wirtz-1
Liverpool's Florian Wirtz-1