Alexander Isak completed his £125m move from Newcastle to Liverpool on deadline day in the summer transfer window but has only scored one goal for Arne Slott’s side.
Arne Slott risks angering Newcastle United fans with his comments about Alexander Isak following the striker’s recent setbacks at Liverpool. The Swedish forward suffered a groin problem and was withdrawn during the Reds’ Champions League win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
Isak refused to train or play at Newcastle in the summer as he aimed to make a permanent move to Anfield. In the end, the striker got his wish and the £125m transfer was completed on deadline day.
Slott used the opportunity in his post-match press conference following the 5-1 win over Frankfurt to draw comparisons between Newcastle and Liverpool. When asked about Isak’s condition and preparation, the Liverpool manager said: “I don’t think there is a rule that is the same for all players, but it depends on what he did when he was not training with the team and what the impact would be if he went to a new club on a big contract.”
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“So you can’t compare it. You can’t compare it to a player who probably hasn’t trained or played in pre-season at a smaller club than going to Liverpool. There are a lot of factors that have to be taken into account, but whether it’s possible or not is not one thing.”
Isak has reached his physical limits due to his international commitments, and despite missing pre-season action against Newcastle and Liverpool, he also featured for Sweden in September. Regarding Sweden’s response to Isak, Slott said: “I think we did exactly what we needed to do. We were very careful with him, and so was the Swedish national team in the first (break).”
“Then they played him twice last time and he was able to do that, so I wasn’t going to criticize the Swedish national team at all, because in fact we told them he was ready to play twice.
“It’s a delicate balance. If we miss preseason, some of us will make it through preseason and some of us will unfortunately get injured again.”
It remains to be seen how long Isaac will be out. The forward’s only goal for Liverpool so far came in Carabao’s win over Championship side Southampton.
Newcastle supporters will likely ignore Slott’s comments. The 2-1 victory over the Reds in the Carabao Cup final remains a recent memory for Tyneside supporters. The two teams will meet for the first time this season when Eddie Howe’s side travel to Anfield on January 31st.
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