Alexander Isak has thrown a big transfer spanner in the works this summer.
According to reports, the Swedish striker has turned down a new transfer offer with the hopes of exploring his options. Isak has been linked with a move away before, including in this window. But he always seemed likely to stay at Newcastle United.
That has now changed. And Liverpool are the most likely destination as things stand.
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The Reds have been busy this summer in bolstering their attack. Arne Slot has already brought in Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike, but they aren’t done there. Luis Diaz’s future is in doubt, and any departure there could see space open up for Isak.
Which begs the question. Is Isak the right move for Liverpool? We’ve compared him to the current Liverpool striking options in three aspects of the game.
Goal threat
Obviously, these are the most important stats for a striker. While it’s good for a striker to be more well-rounded, if they aren’t a goal threat, you’re not going to get far.
Last season, Liverpool had Mo Salah as their number one goal threat. Whoever played through the middle was there to supplement that. And the option rotated. Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo all played as a striker at times, though the latter looks to be the left-wing option.
Unsurprisingly, Isak led Liverpool’s attacking options for goals last season. The Swedish striker averaged 0.8 goals per 90 minutes in the Premier League. That sees him just ahead of Ekitike’s 0.6 for Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga. Diaz, Nunez and Gakpo all averaged 0.5 league goals per 90.
Isak also led the way for conversion rate at 30.26%, with Diaz (26.53%) and Gakpo (21.28%) also hitting the 20-mark. Nunez and Ekitike underwhelmed at 17.86% conversion rate and 17.24%, respectively.
But Ekitike is a shot-taker, which Liverpool fans will like, leading this group with 3.1 efforts per 90. Isak comes in at second on 2.5 per 90. Together, alongside Salah, they could be a force to be reckoned with. Especially with Isak’s 1.5 shots on target joining Ekitike’s 1.7. This would make up for the low numbers produced by Diaz, Nunez and Gakpo last season. Diaz did have good shooting accuracy, though, at 61.22%. Isak wasn’t too far off with 60.53% accuracy.
And then there’s the general box presence. Isak averaged 6.9 touches in the opposition box last season, more than any of our selected 2024-25 Liverpool players. He’s only bettered by Ekitike, who averaged 7.2 touches in the opposition box per 90 in the Bundesliga.
Duels
But what about other aspects of Isak’s game? The things outside of pure goalscoring? When it comes to duels, Isak doesn’t perform too well. Although that’s not immediately a bad thing.
The Swedish striker averaged 1.4 take-ons completed per 90 in the Premier League last season, with 47.19% success rate. Now, Isak isn’t a striker you’re going to rely on dribbling too often — you’ll want him running with space ahead of him. However, it’s a nice ability to have just in case.
Diaz averaged 2.0 take-ons completed per 90 last season, helped by his slightly wider role a times. Ekitike averaged 1.9 take-ons completed per 90 in the Bundesliga, making him a strong addition to Liverpool’s team. Diaz’s success rate was also over 50%, though it trailed Gakpo’s 59.62%.
Another aspect you might want an attacker to thrive in is winning fouls. Although this may be more relevant for wingers, being able to draw a foul in a dangerous position — maybe even in the box — can add so much. Isak only won 0.5 fouls per 90 in the Premier League last season, with a lot of Newcastle’s fouls won by their wingers and midfielders.
Ekitike wasn’t too good at winning fouls either, with 0.6 per 90. Liverpool’s attack was fouled a lot more frequently, with Gakpo winning 1.5 fouls per 90 in the Premier League last season. Nunez and Diaz both averaged 1.2 fouls won.
Isak wasn’t really great in duels either. He averaged 32.53% aerial duel success rate in the Premier League last season, and 33.17% ground duel success rate. The Swede averaged 2.7 aerial duels contested per 90 with 0.9 won. Liverpool’s new signing Ekitike was the best in the air last season, winning 1.9 aerial duels per 90 — though that was still a success rate of below 50% (46.02%).
Diaz contested (11) and won (4.6) more ground duels than the five selected players. But Gakpo (53.89%) had the better success rate.
Link up
Our final section is about passing, and how Isak could play with Liverpool’s other attackers. We won’t just focus on creativity, as Liverpool have the wingers for that.
But, for reference, Isak created 1.4 chances per 90 last season and provided 0.2 assists in the Premier League. Only Nunez (0.9) created fewer chances, while Diaz led the way on 2.1. But the Colombian had time on the wing that would have helped there. And Ekitike was the only one not on 0.2 assists per 90, sitting a smidge higher on 0.3.
Isak also comes in quite low on open-play passes completed at 14.3 per 90, with only Nunez (12.8) managing fewer. Ekitike wasn’t much higher in the Bundesliga at 14.8 per 90. These are all similarly low numbers as strikers. Diaz (26.5) and Gakpo (21.1) average higher than 20 with time on the wing once again playing a part.
But that doesn’t mean Isak can’t get involved. The Swede averaged 1.6 lay-offs completed per 90 in the league last season. For those who may not know, a lay-off completed refers to the number of times a player receives the ball and quickly passes it to a teammate. It usually helps maintain fluidity and rhythm in attacking moves. Only Ekitike (2.4) averaged more per 90, with Diaz, Nunez and Gakpo all at 1.0 per 90 or under.
These stats show that Liverpool can fare well without Isak, and it wouldn’t be the end of the world if they didn’t sign him. But that’s not to say they shouldn’t go for him.