In the world of football, a big-money transfer is always followed by a period of intense scrutiny. Every pass, every run, and every missed chance is analyzed in great detail.
For Alexander Isak, his record-breaking £125 million move from Newcastle United to Liverpool this summer placed a huge spotlight directly on him.
The early stages of his career at Anfield, however, have not gone as smoothly as many had hoped. With just one goal in his first five appearances, and that coming in the Carabao Cup, fans and pundits are already asking questions about why the prolific striker they saw at Newcastle has yet to find his best form.
The statistics tell a clear story of a player who is still finding his feet. Isak has been used in a rotation system with another new signing, Hugo Ekitike, and has managed only 238 minutes on the pitch so far.
He is yet to score in the Premier League or the Champions League for his new club. Part of this slow start can be attributed to his fitness. It has been widely reported that Isak did not participate in a full pre-season with Newcastle, having made his desire to leave the club clear.
This put him at a disadvantage from the beginning, meaning he is playing catch-up while trying to adapt to a new team, a new manager, and a new tactical system.
Unsurprisingly, Newcastle fans have been watching the situation with a mix of emotions. Having seen their team receive a massive fee for a player who wanted to leave, there is a sense of vindication in some of their reactions online.
Some supporters have pointed to his goal-scoring record in the latter part of last season, suggesting that his form had already dipped before the transfer.
Comments from fans on social media range from calling the fee a masterstroke by Newcastle’s leadership to expressions of personal satisfaction in seeing a player who forced a move struggle to immediately replicate his past success.
Yet, beyond the initial reactions, a more interesting and nuanced discussion has emerged, one that involves fans from both sides.
Many Liverpool supporters have been quick to analyze the situation not as a failure of the player, but as a failure of the system he now finds himself in. They point out that a striker’s success is not just about his own ability; it is deeply connected to the style of play and the players around him.
At Newcastle, Isak was the undisputed focal point of the attack. The team’s tactics were built around his strengths. He thrived on quick, direct passes played behind the opposition’s defensive line, using his exceptional pace to run onto them.
He also benefited from the service of wingers, like Anthony Gordon, who possessed blistering speed and a willingness to sprint to the byline and whip crosses into the penalty area. The midfield was instructed to look for him constantly, playing ambitious through balls that maximized his attacking threat.
The consensus among many observers is that Liverpool’s current style of play under Arne Slot is noticeably different.
The build-up is often described as slower and more deliberate, with a focus on ball retention rather than rapid, vertical attacks. Wingers are more inclined to cut inside, which allows opposing defenders to get back into position and organize themselves, reducing the space for a striker like Isak to exploit.
Without players consistently making runs in behind or delivering early crosses, Isak’s most potent weapons are being neutralized. He is being asked to play a different game.
This presents a fascinating challenge for both the player and the manager. For Isak, it is about adapting his game, learning new movements, and developing an understanding with his new teammates.
For Arne Slot, it is a tactical puzzle. He must find a way to integrate his expensive new striker into the Liverpool system in a way that allows him to flourish. Will the system change to suit the striker, or will the striker have to change to suit the system?
The early struggles of Alexander Isak at Liverpool are a powerful reminder that a transfer is more than just a financial transaction. It is a complex process of integration.
A player who was a perfect fit in one team, with one style of play, can look like a square peg in a round hole in another. The raw talent that made Isak so devastating at Newcastle hasn’t disappeared.
The question now is whether Liverpool can create the right environment for that talent to shine once again. The story of this transfer is far from over; in many ways, it has only just begun.
