Liverpool broke the British transfer record to sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle, knowing full well that they would be under pressure from the first moment. The Swede can block out the noise from elsewhere, but those within the club are already forcing the 26-year-old to adapt quickly.
The long-running transfer saga continued until the final day of the summer window, but fellow newcomer Hugo Ekitike started well and quickly became an Anfield favorite. Isak, who has scored four goals in 11 appearances, is in contention for the top flight and Arne Slott has been urged to play alongside the pair.
He has so far been reluctant to do so, preferring a 4-3-3 after last season’s success, while Mohamed Salah and Kodi Gakpo have secured their wing positions.
Liverpool icons agree that Slott needs to tweak his plans to play with both Ekitike and Isak, or risk upsetting them both.
Jamie Carragher said something similar on Overlap: “So we’ve always played in the slot, 4-2-3-1, right? In terms of signing players, we might have to change that now because we’ve been spending that kind of money on players. We talked about[Florian]Wirtz potentially leaving the team, but it can’t last forever.
“He’s got over £100m of money to spend and he’s got to try and make it work. So I’m kind of curious to see how he does going forward and how he gets these players into the team. He’s even thinking about Ekitike and Isaac, so he’s got to find a way. Let’s find a way.”
“If Isak starts and then comes on with 20 minutes left, you can’t do that every week. At some stage you have to find a way for them to play together.”
Ian Rush, who scored 199 goals in two years for Liverpool, believes it is only a matter of time before Isaac and Ekitike are brought in together.
“It (Isak and Ekitike starting together) doesn’t surprise me,” Rush told talkSPORT.
“I think all options need to be considered. The most important thing with Arne Slott is that he looks at the opponent, looks at the opponent and decides who to play. So it doesn’t surprise me.”
Carragher and Rush’s pleas were echoed by Ekitike himself, who insisted he would “share the pitch” with Liverpool’s new No.9.
He told TNT Sports: “He’s a very, very good player. I always watched him before he came here. For me, it’s really good that he’s here. I can learn and improve myself.”
“There is competition, but I know we will play together and make a difference. I hope we can share the pitch one day. That’s a matter for the manager. For me, I just do my job, so that’s really good.”
