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 scored in three straight Premier League games for the 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 linked up for the goal. Barcola broke clear on the right of the front three 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. They looked to build on the previous season's title win by investing heavily in just one or two marquee signings, rather than following Arsenal's approach of spreading the finances to build a bigger, more durable squad. After Edwards's departure in July, Hughes secured the Barcola deal before his own Anfield exit, as Liverpool doubled down on signing smaller, technical players at a time when the Premier League was becoming increasingly physical.
The signs have been promising. Isak impressed for Sweden at last summer's World Cup and carried that form through pre-season into this campaign. He 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 one behind Erling Haaland at the top of the Premier League scoring chart. Iraola, however, is less concerned with the goal tally than with how his striker can help the team win through pressing from the front.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing