Liverpool have maybe rested on their laurels in latest switch home windows, with Federico Chiesa the one first-team signing made since Jurgen Klopp accomplished a much-needed midfield rebuild with the signing of Ryan Gravenberch in August 2023.
That is going to vary this summer time. Arne Slot has surpassed expectations after which some in guiding Liverpool towards the Premier League.
Certain, certain, the Reds have not gained it but, however they want only one level from 5 matches to seal the very best place on the rostrum. It will take essentially the most exceptional of slip-ups to fall now.
The truth that Slot has engineered the triumph with out placing his personal stamp on the Anfield facet bears testomony to his elite-level tactical high quality. To make certain, title rivals have faltered this 12 months, however Liverpool have nonetheless been sensible of their consistency, their steadiness.
Now, it is time to add some high quality, and with Darwin Nunez set to go away, a brand new striker is required. Alexander Isak is the dream.
Why Liverpool need Alexander Isak
Brief reply? Isak is completely sensible, some of the harmful attacking gamers on the earth.
Evaluation of the longer kind identifies a wealth of various properties that make the Sweden worldwide a matchless quantity 9 throughout Europe proper now.
Erling Haaland has goalscoring inevitability, Kylian Mbappe the tempo and motion, Harry Kane the management and passing recreation, however there is a case to be made that the Magpies talisman provides essentially the most dynamic and balanced method of the lot, when contemplating each aspect of the centre-forward recreation.
As per FBref, the 25-year-old ranks among the many prime 7% of forwards throughout Europe’s prime 5 leagues over the previous 12 months for objectives, the highest 15% for assists, the highest 14% for shot-creating actions, the highest 13% for progressive passes, the highest 7% for progressive carries and the highest 6% for profitable take-ons per 90.
A profitable take-on is recorded when a participant beats their opponent by straight carrying the ball previous them whereas retaining possession.
Isak’s completeness units him aside from different strikers, these performing on the prime of their recreation, however his lethal goalscoring means is, after all, the essence of why FSG would love nothing greater than so as to add him to Slot’s squad.
With 25 objectives and 6 assists throughout 38 matches in all competitions this season, Isak is clearly the most effective. Liverpool would solely enhance with the rangy ahead of their combine.
Whether or not Newcastle keep agency on their £150m (and even larger) valuation will decide whether or not FSG green-light a summer time transfer. However his output bespeaks his high quality. Few gamers are able to matching such a haul.
Mohamed Salah can be one who surpasses Isak’s numbers, however there’s an ageing former Redman who’s additionally treading above Isak’s numerical stage.
Who that’s might come as a shock.
The previous Liverpool star outperforming Isak
He is perhaps getting on a bit, however Xherdan Shaqiri nonetheless has that particular one thing that makes him such a menace in and across the last third.
The place Are They Now
Your star participant or greatest flop has left the membership however what are they doing within the current day? This text is a part of Soccer FanCast’s The place Are They Now sequence.
The 33-year-old hasn’t been on Liverpool’s books for a minute, leaving to signal for French Ligue 1 outfit Lyon in a £9.5m deal again in 2021, having fallen down Klopp’s pecking order as a result of high quality of Liverpool’s different forwards and Shaqiri’s unlucky damage struggles.
Diminutive in stature, Shaqiri was small however mighty in Liverpool colors, and although he is since hopped over the pond and performed with Chicago Hearth within the MLS, he is returned to Europe, signed for Basel, again on Swiss territory.
Shaqiri – Liverpool Stats by Season (all comps) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Season | Apps (begins) | Targets | Assists |
20/21 | 22 (7) | 1 | 4 |
19/20 | 11 (2) | 1 | 0 |
18/19 | 30 (15) | 6 | 5 |
Stats by way of Transfermarkt | |||
That first season on Merseyside bred the richest success for Shaqiri on a person stage, instrumental in profitable the Champions League as he positioned two assists throughout that match in opposition to Barcelona.
He is confirmed himself amongst his technology’s most technically gifted playmakers, now concentrating on a storybook ending as he drives Basel towards the Swiss top-flight title.
He is thriving. Shaqiri – who Klopp dubbed a “very particular participant” – has scored 16 objectives and equipped 18 additional assists for Bebbi this season, having solely featured in 32 matches throughout all competitions.
This high-stretching haul of 34 objective involvements is above even that of Isak, who’s, after all, enjoying at a better stage. Nonetheless, it highlights Shaqiri’s high quality, having gained the Champions League with Bayern Munich earlier than Liverpool, turning into a talisman at Stoke Metropolis, thrived with Inter Milan, earned reward for his overhead-kick-scoring Reds debut by Klopp.
He boasts the form of profile that could possibly be excellent for Isak, ought to the latter man make the transfer and be part of Slot’s mission this summer time. As per Sofascore, Shaqiri has solely missed two large probabilities within the league this 12 months, scoring 14 occasions. He is additionally created a whopping 24 large probabilities, averaging 3.5 key passes per recreation.
You can argue that Dominik Szoboszlai might take a leaf from his ebook, for the Hungarian midfielder must up his recreation in entrance of objective to actually maximise his expertise, particularly when a positional peer equivalent to Shaqiri is able to matching Isak’s attacking numbers.
Although Shaqiri’s finest days are behind him, it is heartwarming to see him having fun with such prolific success again in his homeland as he approaches the twilight of an illustrious profession.
The actual fact that he is outperforming Isak, who has been described as “the very best striker within the Premier League” this season by Sky Sports activities’ Jamie Carragher, points a pleasant reminder that he is some of the underrated stars of Liverpool’s journey over the previous decade.
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