Arne Slot, the head coach of Liverpool, has come out in defense of Alexander Isak over his controversial decision to go on strike to facilitate a move away from Newcastle. He further asserted that such a situation would never occur at Liverpool as the club would willingly sell any player who expressed a desire to leave.
Isak successfully secured a transfer from St James’ Park to Anfield on deadline day for an unprecedented British record fee of £125m. The Swedish striker is set to make his debut for the Premier League champions against Burnley this Sunday. However, it's unlikely he will start due to missing pre-season and the first three games of the season after refusing training while still at Newcastle. This was in response to what he claimed were "broken" promises made by his former club.
When asked if Isak’s decision reflects negatively on him as a 26-year-old professional footballer, Slot defended him without hesitation.
Arne Slot, Liverpool manager, said:
“No, I just look at the club. It’s not necessary at our club, because we also trade players. If a player wants to leave and we get the right money for him, this club has shown so many years now that we then sell. You can just keep on training here – Lucho [Luis Díaz] and Harvey [Elliott] get their transfers, Tyler Morton gets his transfer, all these players, I can come up with eight, nine, 10 I think in the last window, that just conduct themselves in the best possible way.”
Fitness concerns and future prospects
Isak had only featured for 18 minutes during the international break due to lack of match fitness. He spent time training alone at his former club Real Sociedad during summer but did not feature during that period. Despite these concerns about fitness and readiness, Slot remains optimistic about Isak's future performance with Liverpool.
Slot admitted it will take some time for Isak to get up-to-speed with his new team but expressed no doubt that he will eventually showcase his talents for Liverpool. “He is one of the best in the world,” said Slot confidently about their new acquisition. However, he also added that being considered among 'the best' requires more than just individual talent - it requires winning trophies too: “But for him [Isak] to become *the* best, I think the best players in the world win trophies.”
The controversy surrounding Isak's move from Newcastle to Liverpool has certainly stirred up discussions among sports fans and sports betting enthusiasts. However, with Slot's unwavering support and confidence in Isak's abilities, it will be interesting to see how this saga unfolds and how Isak performs at his new club.
