Liverpool's patience with Alexander Isak is starting to be rewarded, with the record-breaking £125m purchase finally resembling the most expensive striker in Premier League history. Isak's neatly-taken goal in Liverpool's 2-0 win over an in-form Brighton at Anfield on Sunday means the Swede has now registered in three straight Premier League games for first time since January 2025, when he went on an eight-match scoring streak for Newcastle. What was equally encouraging for head coach Andoni Iraola was the way Isak and fellow £100m-plus recruit Bradley Barcola, operating on the right-hand side of the front three on this occasion, linked up for his goal as the France forward broke clear before locating Isak where he is most effective - in the six-yard box, between the width of the posts.
This was always the vision of Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards, the men who brought Isak to the club last summer for that British-record fee, as well as Florian Wirtz for a similarly hefty outlay, as they looked to build on the previous season's title win by investing heavily in just one or two marquee signings, rather than follow Arsenal's approach and spread the finances out so as to build a bigger, more durable squad. After Edwards's departure in July, it was Hughes who then got the Barcola deal over the line before his own Anfield exit, as Liverpool looked to double down on their policy of signing smaller, technical players at a time when the Premier League was becoming increasingly physical. But perhaps the duo's vision for a post-Mohamed Salah front line is now starting to be realised - never more so than with Isak.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player The signs looked promising for the player after an encouraging showing for Sweden at last summer's World Cup, followed by more impressive displays in pre-season for the Reds, form which he carried over into this campaign. Isak poached his first goal of the new season in the 2-2 home draw with Nottingham Forest in August, one of six in his seven league outings so far, leaving him just one behind Erling Haaland at the top of the Premier League scoring chart. And his overall importance to the team can be seen by the fact the 27-year-old has scored in every one of their league wins to date, while only Victor Munoz among his team-mates has more than one top-flight goal this season.
Iraola, though, is not so worried about how many goals his big-money striker gets, more how he can help the team win with his pressing from the front. "He's a massive player for us," Iraola told Sky Sports in September. "Probably my demands will not be about the goals, I know that [if] he's fit, he's in good shape, he's going to produce the numbers.
"My fights with him are more about other stuff, about how to help the team in all the situations." And it was no coincidence that despite his recent fine run in front of goal, the Liverpool head coach was still banging that same drum ahead of Arsenal's visit to Anfield on Super Sunday. "I think Alex feels the trust of everyone," Iraola reiterated in midweek. "Everyone trusts if he moves into good positions he will score goals.
"But I always tell him he has to help us so we can give you the chances, and I think he understands that necessity. I hope that can continue at the same level." However, it is not just the eye test Isak is passing, with the Sweden international understandably now moving much freer after last season's injury woes and finally beginning to look like the player Liverpool thought they were buying, but statistically his on-pitch numbers also point to a vast improvement in his attacking output. For one thing, Isak is taking a shot more per league game this season, 3.15 compared to 2.18, which probably explains why his xG per 90 has also doubled from 0.33 to 0.67 this campaign, while his strike rate of 0.95 goals per 90 minutes is second only to Haaland.
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