Jamie Carragher and Paul Scholes both expressed their confusion at Newcastle striker Alexander Isak’s links with Arsenal, touting Liverpool as more realistic.
Isak is becoming the most coveted centre-forward in Europe in a campaign that has seen him score 19 goals in 28 games so far for Newcastle.
There is a confidence among many Arsenal fans that, given Mikel Arteta’s appreciation of the Swede, he is almost nailed on as a signing for the Gunners in the summer.
But reacting to this narrative in an appearance on Sky Sports’ The Overlap, Carragher insisted that Isak would “surely pick” Liverpool if the two sides were vying for his signature.
“He has to go to bigger and better!” ??
Would Alexander Isak be the perfect missing piece for Arsenal, or is there a bigger move on the horizon? ? pic.twitter.com/1pBWjEzprX
— The Overlap (@WeAreTheOverlap) February 11, 2025
“There’s a lot of talk about Isak,” he said.
“There’s almost this feeling like Arsenal are going to sign him or Arsenal need to sign him…are you looking at that as an Arsenal fan and thinking that’s realistic that you can just go and buy Isak from Newcastle?
“He’s got three or four years left on his contract.
“There’s no talk about Liverpool getting him. I don’t understand where all this Arsenal talk [comes from].
“Liverpool need one as well, and if Liverpool win the league, if he was to go, surely you’d pick the team who’d won the league.
“Maybe it’s me seeing it on social media, but [joining Arsenal], that’s not realistic is it?”
Joining Carragher on the panel in front of a number of high-profile supporters, ex-Man United midfielder Scholes agreed and argued that Isak “has to go bigger and better” than Arsenal.
“Everyone loves him,” he responded when put to him that Arteta is a firm admirer.
“I don’t see a possibility of him going to Arsenal. I think he has to go to bigger and better.
“I think you’re talking Real Madrids here, Liverpool need a centre-forward…I think [Arsenal will] be an option, but I think they’ll be down the list as an option.”
There have been muted claims of interest in Isak from the decision-makers at Anfield and, given the uncertainty over all three of Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota, it is widely accepted that Liverpool will need a new No. 9.
Whether they would enter the market for a player of Isak’s profile – with Carragher suggesting he would go for upwards of £100 million – is up for debate.
But his and Scholes’ stance on the almost arrogance from north London when it comes to interest in Isak is valid – if they win the Premier League, Liverpool could become the destination again.
