Tom Weber
Tom Weber
Updated: 7 Mar 2025 19:53 GMT
4 min read
Alexander Isak, Liverpool
© IMAGO
Liverpool can't afford to overlook Alexander Isak's obvious red flags, according to Anfield Watch correspondent Sam McGuire.
The Reds are in the market for a new No.9. Darwin Nunez, after being on the verge of leaving in January, is expected to be offloaded in the summer.
The Uruguay international has fallen out of favour under Arne Slot and his departure would create a glaring need for a reinforcement at centre-forward.
Liverpool are understood to be willing to make marquee signings in the summer akin to the deals that saw them sign Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker and Alexander Isak has invariably emerged as an option.
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FootballTransfers has exclusively revealed that Liverpool are his most realistic destination should he decide to leave, but we are also told that he is open to extending his contract if Newcastle agree to give him a 2026 release clause.
The Swede would cost in excess of €100 million in the summer and this hefty price tag, in combination with his injury issues, should make Liverpool think twice about pursuing Isak, argues Anfield Watch expert Sam McGuire.
Alexander Isak
© IMAGO - Alexander Isak
Liverpool's Isak red flags
"The higher the price tag, the riskier the move," McGuire wrote. "There are greater expectations and it makes it harder to live up to them. Look at how Naby Keita and Darwin Nunez are viewed. Their price tags are always brought up. Money shapes perception.
"For Isak to be viewed as a success, what would he need to do to justify the £120m fee? Would 30 goals a season for the next seven years be enough? Or would people want 40 goals? Is that attainable?
"What Michael Edwards did well the first time around was find value for money in attack. He capped fees at around £40m. He found undervalued attackers and Jurgen Klopp scaled their output. It was the perfect storm.
"In a recent interview, Patrick Montgomery, formerly of Liverpool, talked about how players were profiled. Key to the recruitment process was looking at the availability of a player. He mentioned it a few times but I liked this particular line: 'Can they endure the physicality? How resilient are they? Can they play every game? Are they robust?'
"It isn’t just about injuries. It is about whether a player can manage the workload playing for a team like Liverpool. Yes, it is a squad game. But you need to have the capacity to play three times per week. Hopefully, you don’t have to, but you need to be able to.
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"[Isak] turns 26 this year. He’s yet to rack up 3,000 league minutes in a single campaign... For Newcastle, he’s averaged 1,897 minutes across the two full seasons he’s had at St James’ Park. At the time of writing, he’s on 1,984 minutes in the English top flight this season.
"He’s currently averaging 82 minutes per start and there are 11 games left. If he starts all of them, and his average remains the same, he’s going to end the season on 2,886 minutes.
"It’d be the most available he’s been throughout his entire career. But he’s only managed it without the rigours of European football to contend with. Last season, he racked up 2,267 minutes in the Premier League and 313 minutes in the Champions League.
"The point here is he’s not exactly shown himself to be someone who has it in him to play 3,000 league minutes plus 500 minutes in the Champions League. For the rumoured £120million, you at least want availability, don’t you?
"It just feels like a risk, doesn't it? And Liverpool don’t usually take risks."