Arne Slot may be regretting Alexander Isak decision after Champions League heroics from old Liverpool target
Alexander Isak has failed to settle at Liverpool so far and is currently being out-performed on the European stage by a player who they could have signed before him this summer.
Alexander Isak joined Liverpool on deadline day in September after a summer-long transfer saga that saw him refuse to train or play for Newcastle while demanding a move away.
He has made eight appearances so far for his new club, with just one goal and assist each, while he has failed to return in the Champions League up to now.
Isak’s ongoing injury concerns meant he sat out of Liverpool’s 1-0 win against Real Madrid on Tuesday (4 November), with Hugo Ekitike leading the line as he has done in most games already this term.
The £125million man has done very little for the Reds and is not showing signs of improving anytime soon, while one of their former targets is shining in the Champions League.
Victor Osimhen bags Champions League hat-trick to continue fine form after Liverpool links
Victor Osimhen was linked to Liverpool throughout the early stages of the summer window as they aimed to replace the outgoing Darwin Nunez.
The Nigerian striker has been a consistent scorer for a number of years on the continent, with 76 goals in 133 games for Napoli between 2020 and 2024 prior to his loan move to Galatasaray.
He scored 37 times in 41 games for the Turkish giants last season to cement his place as one of Europe’s top frontmen, so it was no surprise to see him linked to Anfield considering their desire for fresh attacking talent.
Slot wanted Liverpool to sign Isak all along despite links to Osimhen, and he was back at Galatasaray for a permanent move in July after it had become clear that a move to Merseyside was not in the offing.
Osimhen has been his usual prolific self so far this season, with a winner against Liverpool at the end of September to really show Slot what his side has been missing this season.
He has continued in a similar vein, netting a brace against Bodo/Glimt on 22 October before a hat-trick on Wednesday (5 November) night to help Gala to a 3-0 win against Ajax.
The 26-year-old sits atop of the Champions League scoring charts right now, with six in four games, while Isak has failed to find the back of the net in a European game so far.
Doubts may just be starting to creep into the minds of Slot and others at Anfield around the Swede’s fitness and suitability for the Liverpool team, while Osimhen has shown them what they are missing once again with more impressive form in front of goal.
What Arne Slot said after being asked about Osimhen
Liverpool’s September clash against Galatasaray in Istanbul boasted a few different storylines before a ball was even kicked, and one of them was the fact that Osimhen was set to face a club who were very publicly linked to his services just months prior.
Slot was asked about the Reds’ pursuit of the Nigerian by a member of the press in the lead-up to the game, and he chose to focus on who they did sign by saying: “
“We have added two No.9s. So how should I say this the right way in English? Unfortunate is not the word I should use but because of an enormous tragedy with Diogo Jota, in the end we had to bring in two No.9s.
“We always thought we’d replace Darwin Nunez with one No.9, but we had to bring in two. We have always looked for very good players but it was always clear to us that from the start we wanted these two (Isak and Ekitike) if we needed two.”
Slot played it coy and insisted that he was happy with Ekitike and Isak, and while the former has impressed, the latter currently looks like a real waste of money.