Liverpool Need Not Rush Alexander Isak—They Already Have a Superstar

Liverpool spent big in the summer are getting a superb return on one investment.

Alexander Isak was the primary target for Liverpool in the summer, but he’s had the spotlight taken away from him. / Marco Canoniero/LightRocket/Getty Images, Kristian Skeie - UEFA/Getty Images, Liverpool FC/Getty Images

With each passing week, Alexander Isak, the Premier League’s record signing, is looking more and more like an unnecessary luxury for Liverpool.

Liverpool set their stall out early in last summer’s transfer window. Isak was their dream signing, an almighty upgrade on Darwin Núñez and the talisman capable of firing them to success for years to come. However, negotiations with Newcastle United didn’t go to plan.

Liverpool’s first eye-watering financial proposal was swiftly rebuffed and the reigning Premier League champions, determined not to enter the new term without an out-and-out centre forward, turned their attention to Hugo Ekitiké.

Within a flash, the highly-rated Frenchman was a Merseyside resident, seemingly ending the Isak pursuit once and for all. But the Swede’s subsequent strike and public declaration of “broken promises’ left the door ajar. Liverpool simply couldn’t resist.

Eventually, after a protracted saga, the Reds got their man, parting ways with £125 million for their trouble. The title race was swiftly declared over before it had even begun, Liverpool expected to waltz to successive crowns without breaking stride. After all, adding a striker who had scored 44 goals across the two previous Premier League seasons to a squad that had just clinched the title by ten points hardly seemed fair.

Isak (left) is yet to make his mark at Liverpool. / Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

But football is seldom so simple. Isak, having missed the entirety of pre-season in self-enforced exile, arrived rusty and lacking match sharpness. Liverpool’s imperiousness dissipated and cracks emerged with and without him. The 26-year-old was now expected to not only provide for the Reds, but save them from their surprise crisis.

Isak’s subsequent struggles have placed the striker firmly under the microscope, scrutiny intensifying with every squandered chance or tepid display. Rival fans have delighted in the forward’s decline, while even patience among Liverpool supporters is wearing thin.

But, fortunately for Liverpool and their followers, they don’t need Isak right now. Arne Slot already boasts a fearsome weapon of attacking destruction—and his name is Ekitiké.

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Fearless Ekitiké Outshines His Competition

Ekitiké has been an immediate hit at Anfield. / Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC/Getty Images

Everything that Isak hasn’t been for Liverpool, Ekitiké has been. Supporters didn’t have to wait long for first-hand glimpses of the 23-year-old’s brilliance having already consumed highlights of his 22 goals for Eintracht Frankfurt last season. An accurate and accomplished finish after just four minutes of the Community Shield offered an insight into the quality on offer.

A similarly composed finish on his competitive Anfield debut, followed by another clinical effort at Newcastle the game after, ensured there was no doubt over the lanky striker. Speed, confidence and, most importantly, cutting edge were all on show in his first three outings.

Bar an idiotic red card against Southampton in the Carabao Cup awarded for taking his shirt off in celebration, Ekitiké has made a faultless start at Anfield. Even three months into the season, he remains the only summer recruit to have matched or exceeded expectations.

Back-to-back Premier League braces against Leeds United and Brighton & Hove Albion have further justified Liverpool’s decision to splash £79 million on the forward, his tally now sitting pretty at nine across all competitions—including the Community Shield.

Ekitiké’s stock continues to rise. / Alex Livesey/Getty Images

But it’s not just his cutting edge that has caught the eye. Searing pace was there for all to see in goals against Eintracht Frankfurt and Leeds, while he leads his clubmates for successful dribbles per 90 in the Premier League. He’s a livewire, regardless of whether or not he’s finding the net.

Ekitiké is no stranger to the pressures of playing for a European behemoth. He made the move to Paris Saint-Germain from Reims aged 20 and subsequently struggled to make an impact within a star-studded side. The move to Frankfurt reinvigorated a precocious talent, but there were concerns that another stumble could be on the cards at Anfield.

Ekitiké has emphatically silenced his doubters.

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Patience Required With Isak

Arne Slot (left) will want more from Isak in the future. / Alex Pantling/Getty Images

Ekitiké’s virtuosity has only shone a harsher spotlight on Isak. While his younger, less experienced and £46 million cheaper strike partner is tearing it up, the ex-Newcastle attacker still barely looks fit, ghosting through matches without leaving his mark. However, patience is essential.

The pressure of living up to a Premier League-record price tag is hard enough, but achieving the feat at a club suffering one of their worst runs of form in a decade turns things up a notch. At £125 million, anything other than perfection garners scrutiny.

Not to mention that Isak has been battling injury and niggling fitness issues. While the Sweden international should be up to match speed after over two months on Merseyside, a stop-start period has halted any momentum. Isak, who already had a reputation as somewhat injury prone, missed four matches shortly after the October international break just as he was getting started.

There is an expectation that Isak will still be a hit for Liverpool—and for good reason. Several terrific campaigns with Newcastle cannot simply be dismissed, Isak boasting the proven Premier League experience and clinical edge that suggests he will come good sooner rather than later.

Isak’s strengths are similar to Ekitiké’s—speed, height and power—and there is nothing stopping him from meriting his lofty price tag. Luckily, thanks to Ekitiké, he will be given time to blossom.

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