An August visit to St James’ Park for Liverpool brings with it an occasion that looked certain to centre on Alexander Isak. And not only this Sunday. A year earlier, when the reigning champions travelled to Tyneside, the Swede was the striker on strike, at the heart of a transfer battle that, it could be argued, ended badly for both Liverpool and Newcastle. Isak was notable by his absence, having met the Newcastle United hierarchy earlier that day to tell them he wanted to leave.
That remarkable match featured a goal from the forward Liverpool did sign successfully, Hugo Ekitike, and also from the player who finished the season as Newcastle’s first-choice No 9, Will Osula. It was settled in dramatic style by Rio Ngumoha, with the 16-year-old scoring in the 100th minute.
Isak experienced nothing like that in his first year on Merseyside. Liverpool’s £125m investment brought in a player whose injuries restricted him to 22 appearances and whose lack of impact left him with only four goals, just three of them in the Premier League. Newcastle, meanwhile, spent the record fee they received on Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa. Isak’s first return to St James’ Park now looks set to be hostile — in stark contrast to the tributes for Kevin Keegan, another man to have represented both clubs and celebrated by each — and it comes with the feeling that neither Liverpool nor Newcastle have truly recovered from an expensive saga.
There will be two new men in the dugouts on Sunday: Matthias Jaissle and Andoni Iraola. Perhaps Eddie Howe was weakened by the sale of Isak, and Arne Slot by the decision to buy him. Supposedly the ultimate finisher, Isak instead seemed to finish off two managers. Iraola, now tasked with solving the puzzle, is hoping that a new season can also mean a fresh beginning. He has tried not to be influenced by assumptions surrounding Isak’s struggles last year.
“You have to be open-minded when you come to a new place and don’t be too affected by the things they tell you about what happened before,” he explained. “You have to try to understand the picture but I think everyone is willing to improve. I haven’t spent too much time thinking: ‘Ok, this didn’t work last season’. I have seen the games and I have my ideas but I prefer to start with a clean slate rather than try to solve the things that didn’t work last season.”
The dismissed Slot had long maintained that the absence of a proper pre-season hampered Isak last year, without ever saying it was the Swede’s own fault that he had not had one. This time he has had that preparation, and he has already scored against Monaco. Twelve months ago, a false start to the campaign led into a season in which he was talked about far more than he was seen: a constant subject in discussion, but only an occasional presence on the pitch and seldom among the goals.
Iraola will not assess Isak on goals alone, but the figures were outstanding when he scored 21 and 23 in the Premier League across his final two seasons at Newcastle. Liverpool would welcome a return of that kind. Before anything else, though, they need him to stay fit.
“I think it is a massive season for Alexander,” said Iraola. “He knows it is [about] two things: the first is availability, and without availability we cannot have the second thing which is the performance level. But I think this has to be the first aim for us, to keep him in a good place in terms of being available. I’m sure if we manage to do this he will perform well because he has been very good during the pre-season. If we can keep him at a good level he will score his goals and he will be a threat. I have no doubts about his level.”
Isak scored against Monaco and, this time, has had a genuine pre-season behind him.
Iraola may have reason to be cautious, considering the effect Isak had on his predecessor’s fortunes and the fact that, with Ekitike injured, he is short of another specialist striker. Yet Iraola’s spell at Bournemouth showed that centre-forwards can prosper under him. Dominic Solanke produced a career-best 19 Premier League goals in 2023-24. Last season, the rookie Eli Junior Kroupi managed 13.
Iraola believes Isak is well suited to the way he wants his team to play. “I think he’s quite a unique No 9 in terms of he can come to receive and be technically very clean, and he can also be very good attacking the space. Sometimes you get one thing or the other, like a player who comes to link up play and sets the others or a player who is just quick and attacks the spaces, but he can do both. Also, my biggest fight [in pre-season] has been about our press, how to position, how to help the players that he has behind, and I think he is willing to do it and to understand. He is improving with every friendly we’ve played.”
Isak did not press enough last season; but then, when he was not at full sharpness, he also did not move enough or score enough. Liverpool can hope that his second season turns out to be the exact opposite of his first in every way. But when Isak makes his first return to Newcastle, one difference will be there from the start. If he can remind Newcastle of what they lost and Liverpool of what they gained, there will be another.
