The Premier League champions have defied pre-season predictions to take gold medals this season. However, Arne Slot’s Liverpool have their work cut out this summer.
It’s curious that a title-winning team with such depth and balance in attack have found repeated calls in recent months for upgrades in the final third.
Liverpool, after all, have outscored their divisional rivals and then some this season. Moreover, Mohamed Salah is surely going to complete a clean sweep of individual accolades after his incredible campaign.
1.
Liverpool
1st
80
2.
Man City
4th
66
3.
Newcastle
3rd
65
4.
Arsenal
2nd
63
5.
Tottenham
16th
62
But several stars haven’t lived up to the billing, with Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota’s woes accentuating the need for an out-and-out striker.
Credit to Luis Diaz, whose versatility and tireless efforts have been crucial in Slot setting his name alongside the illustrious list of Premier League-winning managers; however, he’s not a true number nine and he’s gone stretches of the campaign without finding the back of the net.
Liverpool need to sign a centre-forward, but they shouldn’t sign Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak. Big claim, but here’s why.
Why Liverpool shouldn't sign Isak
If we’re going purely off suitability within Slot’s system and the level of quality Liverpool want to augment their ranks with, Isak would be the perfect summer signing.
However, FSG simply won’t authorise a package in excess of £150m to bring him to Merseyside, which is what Newcastle are likely to demand if they qualify for the Champions League.
And given that the Magpies are third in the Premier League with four games to go, they have a real chance to claim a seat back at Europe’s elite table.
Hark back two years. In April 2023, Liverpool pulled out of the race to sign Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham, concerned about the finances involved in striking a deal and Real Madrid’s vested interest.
This was met with derision from rivals, but FSG knew what they were doing. A range of signings were needed to refurnish the midfield, and who can say the decision was a poor one? Now, Liverpool are champions, having lifted the Carabao Cup last year.
The same outlook must be applied to Isak’s situation. The Sweden star has been “the best striker in the Premier League” this season, in the view of Jamie Carragher, but he’s not the only goalscorer available, and bagging him would likely come at the expense of much-needed investment across other areas.
Luckily, Liverpool are not so blinkered as to place all eggs in one basket.
Liverpool scouting exciting striker
As per The Telegraph’s Chris Bascombe, Liverpool may well turn their attention to Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike as they (potentially) close the door on Newcastle’s star striker.
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However, FSG’s chiefs are understood to have internal reservations about forking out a figure which could stand at £80m for a raw talent whose qualities have not yet been solidified at the highest level over a proven number of years.
The frustrations behind the failed shot at Nunez still live in the club’s mind, but Liverpool have doubled down on their data-driven approach since Klopp’s departure and Ekitike ticks a lot of boxes.
He ticks a lot of boxes for multiple high-level suitors, though, with Arsenal and Manchester United both also reportedly keen on striking a deal.
What Hugo Ekitike would bring to Anfield
Frankfurt signed the 22-year-old Ekitike from Paris Saint-Germain on loan for the second half of the 2023/24 season before his deal was made permanent for a reported €35m (£30m) fee last summer.
Always well regarded for his gifted skills on the ball, his multi-faceted attacking approach, Ekitike has gone from strength to strength since moving to Germany, thriving as the main man after languishing on the periphery of PSG’s swollen ranks.
According to analyst Ben Mattinson, Ekitike is “one of the best strikers out there” right now, scoring 22 goals and supplying ten more assists across 45 matches in all competitions. He’s certainly making waves, with journalist Graeme Bailey citing a few years ago the fact that many in France feel he could be “the next Mbappe.”
He netted a fantastic goal in the first leg of Frankfurt’s Europa League quarter-final tie against Tottenham Hotspur, though failed to advance to the penultimate stage.
Liverpool are interested not just because he has the trappings of a first-class goalscorer, but boasts a dynamic range of qualities. As per FBref, the Les Bleus star ranks among the top 4% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for shots taken, the top 7% for shot-creating actions, the top 5% for progressive carries and the top 4% for successful take-ons per 90.
A successful take-on is recorded when a player beats their opponent by directly carrying the ball past them while retaining possession.
What an interesting profile. Direct but smooth in his darts into the danger area, Ekitike is an artful dribbler and intelligent in his decision-making under pressure, hailed for his “incredible” quality by teammate Rasmus Kristensen.
These qualities have actually led the data-driven site to record Isak as Ekitike’s most statistically similar player. The plot very much thickens, then. You can see why Liverpool are so keen to snap this young talent up, replacing Nunez with an exciting new striker.
Ekitike isn’t Isak Lite, per se, but he’s definitely not on the level of the 25-year-old, whose completeness is truly a thing to behold. Of course, goalscoring is Isak’s bread and butter, scoring 22 Premier League goals this season (his one-term record) and missing just 18 big chances, as per Sofascore.
Such a conversion rate is impressive, for sure, but Ekitike’s showcasing his own brand of ball-striking potential in the Bundesliga, with 15 goals put away and only 13 big chances missed.
Similarities there, but Isak also ranks among the top 14% of strikers for both assists and shot-creating actions, the top 7% for progressive carries and the top 8% for successful take-ons per 90 (also FBref).
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Isak’s the dream, but dreams are so often rooted in unreality, and Ekitike would be a more pragmatic signing who could still turn into a world-class player under the wing of Slot.
All the while ensuring there is ample room to make important improvements across the park.
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