Arne Slot facing AGONISING Alexander Isak decision after £125m deadline day deal

Liverpool completed a British record signing for Alexander Isak on transfer deadline day.

The Reds paid £125m to Newcastle for the 26-year-old striker - who scored 23 times in the Premier League last season.

It looked like Isak could be the missing piece of the jigsaw for Arne Slot’s side - a world-class No9 who would surely lead them to a second, successive top-flight title.

Only it’s not worked out like that. Isak was unfit when he started his Liverpool career - having missed Newcastle’s preseason campaign and sitting out their first three matches of the Premier League season.

He has only appeared intermittently for the Reds - scoring once - and is coming off the back of an injury.

Isak suffered an upper leg injury during the Champions League win against Eintracht Frankfurt and hasn’t been seen in a red shirt since.

Isak inactivity bad news for Liverpool

But he spent time with his Swedish national team colleagues for their recent FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Switzerland and Slovenia.

Across two matches Isak played only half an hour - a substitute appearance during the 4-1 hammering by the Swiss.

He remained on the bench for the second match - as it appeared Sweden coach Graham Potter wasn’t entirely sure whether or not a booking would see him suspended for March’s World Cup playoffs.

Either way this isn't ideal for Liverpool. Isak NEEDS game time wherever he can get it.

Initially Arne Slot expected his £125m man to be fit around the time of the October international window. But injury scuppered those plans and the Reds have again been forced to manage without their record signing.

No doubt the club would have been hoping that Isak would play a significant part in the recent Swedish fixtures.

Potter admitted before the games that the forward wasn’t fit enough to play two sets of 90 minutes in quick succession. So he returns to Liverpool once again without decent match practice.

Ekitike has earned the shirt; Isak hasn't

What will Slot do this weekend for the game against Nottingham Forest?

The most sensible option would be to use Hugo Ekitike up top despite Isak being back in contention.

The 23-year-old came off the bench for France’s first qualification assignment of the November window - scoring against Ukraine in a 4-0 win. And he started for their second game - a 3-1 away win in Azerbaijan.

Although Ekitike’s form has tailed off for the Reds in recent weeks following a strong start, right now he is the club’s sharpest centre-forward option.

Maybe Isak can come off the bench after an hour or so to unlock the Forest defence if things are looking tight.

But the fact remains that the jury is very much out on this signing simply because Isak hasn’t managed to get himself up to speed.

Isak should stay on the bench

Last summer sporting director Richard Hughes paid £69m to attract Ekitike to the club from Frankfurt.

It was an inspired move - quite independent from any deal which was going to be done for Isak. And the former PSG star took up the mantle in the early part of the season with his goalscoring and leading of the line.

That was until his red card against Southampton in the EFL Cup - which coincided with Isak coming into the side.

Since then Liverpool have been uneven in their performance. But a feature of their good displays in the meantime is that Ekitike has usually started.

So Slot should not treat him like Isak’s back-up - particularly when the Swede is so rusty. It’s up to Isak to come and take the starting shirt off Ekitike and not the other way around.

Because one has earned it and one hasn’t.

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