Alexander Isak is Liverpool’s No. 1 target for the No. 9 position, and although he would force the club to break their transfer record again, his numbers show why he is worth it.
With the help of our partners at FotMob, we take a look at the data and show why Liverpool are pursuing a record deal for Isak.
An elite finisher
Liverpool created 150 big chances in the Premier League last season, the most of any side, but missed 92 of them – more than any other club.
Arne Slot is crying out for an elite finisher to lead his side’s title defence, and Isak more than ticks the box.
He scored 23 goals and assisted a further six in the Premier League last season, with only Mohamed Salah (47) combining for more goal involvements across the top flight.
Notably, though, he takes fewer shots (3.2) per 90 than the likes of Cole Palmer, Erling Haaland, Salah and Jhon Duran, but his shot conversion rate is an impressive 23.2 percent.
No player who averaged more than 2.3 shots per 90 converted at a higher rate. Salah was the closest with 22.3 percent.
And as for a direct comparison to Darwin Nunez, the Uruguayan averaged 2.7 shots per 90 but with a conversion rate of just 14.7 percent last season.
Lethal inside the box
As the lone striker at Newcastle, Isak thrives anywhere inside and around the penalty box, and it lends itself to him finding elite positions to score thanks to his supreme game intelligence.
The Swede took 99 shots in the Premier League, and 84 of those were from inside the box with 20 finding the net, which is perfectly inline with his expected goals from that area of the pitch (19.7).
He is a dominant right-foot finisher who overperformed his total expected league goals (xG) of 20.42, which suggests he has been more clinical than a typical player would have been given the same opportunities.
And there is no concern over whether Isak can replicate those numbers, especially if he were to move to Anfield.
With the addition of a creative force in Florian Wirtz, the prospect of adding Isak to the equation would be a frightening proposition for any opposition side!
A well-rounded forward
Since arriving at Newcastle ahead of the 2022/23 season, the 25-year-old has scored 62 goals in 109 matches in all competitions.
He is a dual threat capable of dribbling and progressing the ball beyond defenders, plus winning possession back (a must for Slot), as his statistics from the league last season show:
1.37 chances created per 90 minutes (86th percentile for strikers)
1.37 successful dribbles per 90 (84th percentile)
6.86 touches in the opposition box per 90 (88th percentile)
Possession won in final third (86th percentile, total)
As for areas to improve, 6’4″ Isak can elevate his aerial game further having only scored four league goals via a header last season, which would only boost his attacking threat.
He is not ‘injury prone’
Finally, there is a peculiar belief that Isak is injury-prone, but that is not the case.
In his three seasons at Newcastle, he’s had six different spells out with injury, missing 26 games in total.
A broken toe last season forced him to miss three games, while hamstring and groin complaints kept him out of a further two – but he still made 42 appearances in all competitions, 41 as a starter.
This is a player in his prime and capable of backing up week in, week out.
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