Arsenal may well have dodged a bullet by not pursuing Alexander Isak.
For much of his Real Sociedad and Newcastle career, the Swedish striker was heavily linked with a move to the Emirates.
Last year, TBR quoted an Arsenal insider who revealed, “I really do not expect it to happen, but it will come from the fact that Arteta is a massive, massive fan. He is one that if Arteta sees that if he could get one player, and we only had to sign one player, it would be Isak. He loves him, and he sees so many different roles and how he could evolve at us in so many different ways.”
So when Isak made it clear he wanted to leave St James Park last summer, all eyes were on whether Arsenal would act on that transfer opportunity.
They did not, and many Gooners feared the club had just handed Liverpool the league title. But was that really the case.
Isak Struggles At Anfield
Three months into his Liverpool career, Isak has looked a shadow of himself. The move was billed as the big step he was ready for, yet it seems he was not prepared to take it.
For a striker once considered among the most clinical in the Premier League, evidenced by his fifty four goals in eighty six games, his failure to live up to that reputation has been disappointing.
With two months now gone without a goal, it is clear Arsenal, who needed a ready made striker capable of hitting the ground running, would not have found that in Isak.
A forward who has failed to score in his first four starts and endured a lengthy drought is obviously not what Arsenal required.
Arsenal Got What They Wanted
Revelations like this underline why Arsenal’s bold move for Viktor Gyokeres made perfect sense. Even vocal Gooner Piers Morgan agrees the club struck the better deal last summer.
He tweeted, “I was so pissed off when we missed out on Isak. Now I could not be happier we got Gyokeres instead.”
Do you agree with Piers Gooners?
Daniel O
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I don’t know what’s happened to Izak since his transfer; he couldn’t have suddenly become a bad player. Without actually wishing him well, I’m sure he’ll recover some of the Newcastle form that made him so wanted by other top clubs.
Jax,
I don’t understand all the negativity towards Isak. Although I didn’t like the way he handled himself regarding his refusal to train with Newcastle, as you say he hasn’t become a bad player overnight.
He’s been injured for some of the time he’s been at Liverpool, but once he’s up to speed I think we’ll see some of the old Isak back on the pitch.
And don’t forget our very own new striker Gyokeres has taken some time to settle. That doesn’t make him a bad striker either. 🤷♂️
👍👍👍
I remember telling you lot that he was not better than Osimhen but people on this platform wanted to eat me alive.
Gizzle,
You may be right regards him not being better than Osimhen, but it doesn’t mean he’s not a good striker. 🤷♂️
Isak’s form at Sociedad, maybe Liverpool got that player
Isak is world class. He hasnt been fit since he downed tools in the summer and has played FIVE PL games for Liverpool. All comments and articles like this will just come back to bite, why write them?
He hasn’t turned into a bad striker. Liverpool just signed the wrong players. They are awful at the moment. They are not as bad as things are going but they have lost the balance they had last season. Isak is injury prone and he is struggling. Liverpool didn’t need Isak but they got him. Lets hope it stays bad for a while yet.
Isak will start performing again. Sometimes some people take time to acclimatize to new environments.
The system at Liverpool is focused more on the winger positions, much like we see at Arsenal. Newcastle focused more on getting the ball to the striker, and Isak benefitted from this system.
Isak will have to adjust to Liverpool, and that will take time. Salah has led them for years, and it is time Liverpool begin to transition away from Salah as the leading attacker and scorer.
Some very good points. Like others have said, Isak hasn’t become a bad player but the style of the teams are very different. Isak was strong for Newcastle when running into space. The top teams often don’t have that luxury so he, and Liverpool, need to adapt.
I’m very happy with how Gyökeres is playing. And maybe we forget how long it took both Bergkamp and Henry to settle. I’m not suggesting he’s in the same class (who is?) but he’s a good player that will only get better
I believe they knew Arteta liked Isak and just to put a spanner in the works LFC approached him and paid [over the odds] so as to nullify any threat of arsenal progressing as a potential title winning unit.
It appears that LFC totally miscalculated Arteta’s mindset, his foresight and conceptual apparatus and their gameplan has backfired. Isak isn’t a dud but it appears Ekitike and some practical squad recruits may have saved them some blushes – its clear they are in a mess now.