Alexander Isak: Why Joining Liverpool Was an Easy Decision
Alexander Isak did not hesitate. Not when Liverpool called. Not when the fee soared to a British record £125m. Not even when the goals dried up and a broken leg wrecked his first season at Anfield.
Joining Liverpool last summer, he says, was an “easy decision”.
“[Liverpool] is a massive club, and everything about the club made it pretty clear,” he told BBC Sport’s The Football Interview. “And the club's ambition and the club's will to get me in as well. It was a big part of it.”
The move came late, on deadline day in September 2025, after a turbulent spell of uncertainty at Newcastle. Isak missed pre-season entirely, training back at Real Sociedad while his future was thrashed out. He has spoken of “broken” promises at Newcastle. The result was a striker arriving at Anfield undercooked, under pressure and carrying the weight of a record fee.
The goals never really flowed. Then his season snapped with his leg in December. He did not return until April.
Still, regret? Not once.
Asked if he ever questioned the decision to swap Newcastle for Liverpool, Isak was blunt: “No, never. I would never think like that.”
The injury, he admits, cut deep.
“[The leg break] was tough. Anyone who had a long injury would know,” he said. “But on the other hand, when you're in a good place and when you feel good, you don't really tend to look back because it doesn't really benefit you.
“So I'm just looking forward and feel really optimistic and excited about the season, and what it can bring to us.”
This season, the mood has shifted. The 26-year-old already has three Premier League goals – matching his total from the whole of last year – and he has needed only four games to do it. The numbers are modest by his own standards, but the rhythm is back.
World Cup platform for a reset
The timing of his recovery brought one unexpected positive. Isak arrived at the World Cup with Sweden having played just 1,032 minutes for Liverpool across 22 appearances. For many, that would have been a concern. For him, it became a springboard.
He scored once and set up three goals for Graham Potter’s Sweden before they were knocked out by France in the last 32.
“Playing for your country in a World Cup is a dream of most people,” he said.
“With the injuries last season, the World Cup was perfect. I had that period where I could play and gain rhythm and form.
“And, on top of that, it was a massive experience, so that was perfect to do and come back here for pre-season and to start the season.”
By the time he reported back to Liverpool, he finally felt like a player ready to start a season, not chase one.
Iraola’s demand: defend to attack
The club he returned to had changed. Arne Slot was out; Andoni Iraola was in. And the new head coach wasted no time in redefining Isak’s job description.
He still has one clear instruction – “score goals” – but there is a twist.
Iraola has told him that defending from the front is an “attacking weapon” for Liverpool.
“He asks me to be part of the defending but to defend in positions where, when we win the ball, we can counter quickly and get the ball forward to the offensive line,” Isak explained.
“He said ‘score goals’, but he wants me to defend. The way we defend – we defend to score goals so defending, in the end, is an attacking weapon.”
That idea runs through Iraola’s entire blueprint. Liverpool have produced the most sprints in the Premier League this season, a clear sign of the front-foot, aggressive style he is trying to embed.
“He came with his football – the way he wants to play and the high intensity which I think will benefit me, the club and the way the club wants to play football,” Isak said.
This is not a team built around simply feeding its No 9. Isak knows it.
“I think that's what the team needs,” he said of the new approach. “It's not just about getting the ball to me, it's about getting the ball forward and to all of the offensive players quickly.
“I think that will benefit the team. I think if we can do that then we should score more goals.”
No personal targets, just trophies
Isak’s record in England shows he knows where the net is. He has 60 Premier League goals already, with his most prolific campaign coming at Newcastle in 2024-25, when he hit 23.
At Liverpool, though, he is careful not to turn the season into a numbers game.
“Everyone knows that success for this club is winning trophies,” he said. “I want to score every game. Everyone is different. Some like to set targets and some don't. I'm the one that doesn't.”
Liverpool paid a record fee for a forward in his prime. He has fought through a fractured first year, a broken leg and the scrutiny that comes with a £125m price tag.
Now he has a coach who wants him to press, sprint and harry as much as he finishes. He has a system that suits his mobility and a World Cup behind him that restored his sharpness.
The decision to join was easy. The real question now is whether this season is the one where Alexander Isak starts to make it look that way on the pitch every week.
