Alexander Isak vows to ‘make history’ with Liverpool after British record move
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Newcastle United's Alexander Isak has completed his British record move to Liverpool.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – Alexander Isak vowed to make history with English Premier League champions Liverpool, after finally completing his British-record £125 million (S$216.1 million) move from Newcastle United on Sept 1.
The Swedish striker, 25, agreed a reported six-year contract with the Reds, after they convinced Newcastle to accept an improved bid ahead of the Premier League’s transfer deadline.
Isak’s arrival will increase the expectation that Liverpool are set for a dominant period and he is happy to shoulder the burden.
“I think it’s a mixture of what the club is building, but what they’re building on top of what the club already is. The history of the club. Me getting the chance to be a part of this, I want to create history,” Isak said.
“I want to win trophies. That’s ultimately the biggest motivation for me. I feel like this is the perfect place for me to grow even further and to take my game to the next level and help the team as well.”
Arne Slot’s side had a £110 million offer rejected by Newcastle in August, but Isak’s determination to force through the move paid off.
He told Newcastle he wanted to leave and spent part of pre-season training alone at his former club Real Sociedad.
He was then left out of Newcastle’s pre-season tour of Asia with what was said to be a thigh injury, and accused the Magpies’ hierarchy of breaking a commitment that he could leave if a suitable offer came in from a top club.
Manager Eddie Howe had repeatedly stated his desire to keep the Swede, who scored 27 times in 42 appearances in all competitions last season.
Isak’s goals helped secure Champions League qualification and ended Newcastle’s 56-year major trophy drought with a League Cup final win over Liverpool.
But Newcastle’s swoop for VfB Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade on Aug 30 paved the way for him to secure his dream move.
“It has been a long summer but I’m just looking forward, not looking at the past,” Isak added. “It’s done now and I know I can get back to doing what I love the most... I want to win everything.”
Isak’s move to Anfield takes Liverpool’s spending on new signings to £446 million since the end of last season, according to Sky Sports.
Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Giorgi Mamardashvili and Giovanni Leoni are Liverpool’s other major new recruits.
The Reds’ spending has shattered the previous Premier League summer window record of £434.5 million, set by Chelsea in 2023.
They had already broken their own transfer record to land Bayer Leverkusen playmaker Wirtz for an initial £100 million, before Isak’s move set a new British mark.
Chelsea held the previous record with their £107 million signing of Enzo Fernandez in 2023.
Slot is looking to cement Liverpool’s hold on the Premier League title, while also challenging for a seventh Champions League crown.
If the Reds can win the league again, it would take them past Manchester United as the most successful team in English top-flight history, with 21 titles.
Liverpool have not lifted the title in successive seasons since winning three in a row from 1982 to 1984. With Isak now the fulcrum of their formidable attack, Slot will be under pressure to deliver the record-breaking title.
He has a wealth of forward options, with new signings Isak, Wirtz and Ekitike joining Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo and Federico Chiesa.
The spending spree marks a big shift in policy for Liverpool, with Chiesa the only senior arrival in the 2024 summer transfer window, for an initial fee of £10 million.
Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Jarell Quansah, Caoimhin Kelleher, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Tyler Morton and Ben Gannon Doak have all been sold, with the club recouping around £190 million.
Slot’s men already sit top of the Premier League with the only 100 per cent record left in the division, after beating title rivals Arsenal 1-0 on Aug 31 to make it three successive victories to open the season.
Meanwhile, Manchester City signed Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma from Paris Saint-Germain on a five-year contract, the club confirmed on Sept 2, after agreeing to Ederson’s departure to Turkish club Fenerbahce.
Financial details were not disclosed but British media reported that City paid £26 million for Donnarumma and agreed to sell Ederson for £12 million. AFP, REUTERS
