With less than 24 hours before the 2025-26 Premier League season kicks off, Newcastle superstar Alexander Isak is on strike and Liverpool manager Arne Slot has admitted that even with Hugo Ekitike now on the books, his side doesn’t just want to sign at least one more attacker—they need to.
That’s because after the sales of Darwin Nuñez and Luis Diaz and with the tragic death of Diogo Jota earlier in the summer, Liverpool have just three established senior forwards, with Slot’s other options standout 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha and midfielders that could be played out of position.
”I see Hugo mainly as a number nine that could also play from the left or together with another nine,” Slot said when asked about his attacking options. “It’s clear with Darwin gone, Luis Diaz gone. Last season we had five or six options—with Diogo as well. We need to have one more attacker at least.”
It’s long been clear the club’s dream attacking signing would be Isak, and the 25-year-old Sweden international appears set on exiting Newcastle, with the latest from that club’s connected journalists describing him as “on strike” while Eddie Howe seems increasingly resigned to his departure.
Ahead of Newcastle’s season opener against Aston Villa on Saturday, Howe talked of Isak’s push to depart as detrimental to squad morale and admitted they will likely “have to find a way without him.” Isak is expected to be fined by Newcastle if, as expected, he isn’t in the squad against Villa.
Meanwhile, Liverpool are moving quickly to shore up another weak spot in the squad ahead of their attempt to defend last season’s Premier League title, with centre half Giovanni Leoni now on his way from Parma in a £26M deal and the club still seeking to bring in Crystal Palace’s Marc Guéhi.
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