Who’s Liverpool’s star ahead? Is it nonetheless Mohamed Salah?
Solely in Might was the 33-year-old handed many particular person awards to surmount his crew triumph with Liverpool. For his defining function in Arne Slot’s triumphant debut marketing campaign, Salah has put to relaxation any doubts that he is without doubt one of the best gamers in Premier League historical past.
However even Salah will at some point retire, and his begin to the 2025/26 marketing campaign has delivered to thoughts the issues that he has handed his prime and is a part of the issue Slot is wrestling with, Liverpool having misplaced three in a row this season and missing any of the fluency and zip on present for many of final season.
Provided that the Egyptian King signed a brand new two-year contract on Merseyside in April, it is clear that he and FSG really feel that this story is just not but over, however sporting director Richard Hughes has nonetheless added high quality to Liverpool’s attacking ranks, with Alexander Isak the showpiece.
Why Liverpool signed Alexander Isak
For 9 years, Liverpool have boasted Salah as their star goalscorer, however the record-breaking addition of Isak from Newcastle United on switch deadline day underscores a shifting of the plates at Anfield. The stability of offensive energy has swung.
Final season, Isak scored 27 objectives throughout all competitions for Newcastle. He scored what proved the decisive second strike in a 2-1 win over Slot’s Reds at Wembley in March. It was there that he lifted the Carabao Cup.
Many attacking departures this summer time led to FSG deciding to interrupt the financial institution for a striker already established as probably the greatest within the enterprise. Isak, now, shall be anticipated to supply the products over a few years to spearhead a trophy-laden chapter.
Salah, Liverpool’s adopted son. However he is getting outdated, and may he get well that very same giddy degree of 2024/25, it’s positive to be a short-lived factor when seen in opposition to the potential of a few of his Liverpool teammates.
Like Isak. The Sweden worldwide is 26 years outdated and totally settled into his Premier League profession. Already, he has been described by pundit Ally McCoist as being “the most effective all-round centre-forward” in England.
Nonetheless, he is not Salah. As an alternative, Liverpool may discover one other inside their ranks to look extra just like the pure alternative for the £400k-per-week celebrity, albeit not fairly positionally.
Slot’s personal Salah-type signing
When Salah first arrived at Liverpool, he arrived below scrutiny. Scroll by way of the archives and you’ll find loads of criticism when Jurgen Klopp oversaw a £34m buy of Roma winger Salah, previously of Chelsea, the place he didn’t impress.
However 9 years later, he’s a Liverpool legend, having gained greater than his share of silverware and scored greater than his share of objectives.
With Salah now winding down, Hugo Ekitike may step up as the brand new model of the talisman, with some fascinating parallels between the 2.
Having joined the membership from Eintracht Frankfurt this summer time for an preliminary £69m payment, Liverpool felt they’d signed one of many best younger forwards within the enterprise. Certainly, expertise scout Jacek Kulig mentioned of the Frenchman throughout his days with Eintracht Frankfurt: “He may undoubtedly attain world-class striker ranges.”
However that is an enormous some for a 23-year-old who had beforehand struggled at an enormous membership. Earlier than transferring to Germany, Ekitike had swapped Reims in his homeland for the Paris Saint-Germain superpower, arriving in July 2022 for a €35m (about £30.5m) payment.
However, described as a “aim machine” by Liverpool correspondent David Lynch, Liverpool have landed themselves a much more full and primed verison.
4 objectives have been all he scored within the French capital, having performed 33 matches. That is considerably just like Salah’s return at Chelsea, posting two objectives and three assists for the Blues earlier than being bought to Roma.
Liverpool’s scouting crew have lengthy identified their stuff, although, and Ekitike’s underlying information is a factor to behold. In truth, taking a look at his efficiency throughout the previous yr, it is laborious to differentiate the up-and-comer from the mighty Isak, which is a towering testomony to his high quality.
Alexander Isak vs Hugo Ekitike (previous 12 months) | ||
|---|---|---|
Stats (per 90) | Isak | Ekitike |
Targets scored | 0.76 | 0.50 |
Assists | 0.21 | 0.24 |
Pictures taken | 3.13 | 3.65 |
Shot-creating actions | 2.96 | 3.15 |
Touches (att pen) | 6.16 | 6.46 |
Go completion (%) | 75.4 | 75.0 |
Progressive passes | 3.23 | 1.96 |
Progressive carries | 2.65 | 2.78 |
Profitable take-ons | 1.38 | 1.61 |
Ball recoveries | 1.93 | 2.38 |
Aerials gained | 0.89 | 1.83 |
Knowledge through FBref | ||
There’s not so much to separate the 2. Isak is the extra refined and efficient goalscorer, however Ekitike is extra full and aggressive when on the ball, and higher together with his head apart from.
These are uncommon breeds of centre-forward, and Liverpool now have frontmen with the standard to take the reins from Salah over the following couple of years and lead Slot’s facet to extra glory. Isak is a product of a number of years of profitable growth within the Premier League, however Ekitike is aware of what it is wish to fall by the wayside at one of many continent’s largest hitters, and he shares that with Salah.
With 5 objectives and an help throughout his first ten matches as a Liverpool striker, Ekitike has began life as a Crimson on robust footing. Salah did too, breaking the document for objectives in a 38-game Premier League marketing campaign when he first returned to English shores.
Whether or not Ekitike will fairly obtain the identical diploma of success is debatable, to make sure, however the reality stays that Liverpool have pulled off some distinctive enterprise this summer time, and whereas FSG should flip towards figuring out a successor on the best wing within the coming home windows, Salah’s proverbial inheritor has been positioned and welcomed within the type of Ekitike.
He’s set for the highest.
