-
News
- 1 hours ago
Arne Slot admits Liverpool have Alexander Isak problem and provides CONTROVERSIAL solution
Robin Bairner
- 22 Nov 2025 11:38 GMT
- 4 min read
News
Arne Slot has admitted that Alexander Isak is causing him a headache and says that the only way to solve the issue may make Liverpool weaker in the short term.
Although the striker signed for the Anfield club in a Premier League record €145 million deal, the Swede has yet to show anything like his top level on Merseyside.
Isak, 26, has just one goal in his first eight appearances for the Reds, with that coming against Championship side Southampton in the EFL Cup.
Current ETV
Alexander Isak
F (C)
Liverpool
Alexander Isak
F (C)
Liverpool
ETV Range
€99.1M - €165.1M
Liverpool boss Slot, though, says that this slow start is understandable given the player’s physical deficit after missing pre-season training with Newcastle. On top of this, he has also suffered from an adductor injury.
“Alex will need a bit more time, but if we get him fully fit he will become the player he was at Newcastle, at Real Sociedad, and at his previous clubs. He simply needs to reach full fitness,” Slot promised when speaking to the media.
“That is the challenge, and it is something people underestimate when a player arrives on September 1, after the league has already been running for weeks.”
Slot admits Isak ‘challenge’
Getting Isak up to his expected level, though, could see Hugo Ekitike sacrificed, despite the strong start the France international has made to his Liverpool career.
Slot said: “A fully fit Alexander Isak is a huge asset for this team. But for him to get there, he may need minutes at a stage when you could argue others are further ahead in match fitness. At one point he had only one sprint above 30 km/h in four months and had done very little high-intensity running, so we had to build him up again. That is normal when you have been training alone. It is nothing like a team session.
“If you pick up an injury during that process, you fall behind again. So he needs time. The difficulty for me is that I sometimes have to play a footballer who is not yet at his usual match fitness. In pre-season you can manage that in friendlies, where results do not matter, but not during the campaign. Alex and Alexis Mac Allister are good examples of that. Conor Bradley’s injury in pre-season was another. I could list many more.
“That is the challenge with him. In training, when he is fully rested, you can clearly see his quality. In small-sided sessions the ball comes to him often, and he stands out. But in 11-v-11 on a big pitch there is a lot more running and far fewer touches. Even so, he is an incredible player.”
Related stories:
Liverpool given green light for incredible January as Reds can ‘absolutely’ sign Guehi and Semenyo
The Champions League has a new home on UK TV: What fans need to know
The FootballTransfers app
Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.
The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:
