Liverpool: Slot's grand masterplan for Isak revealed and how Ekitike fits in

Hugo Ekitike may have started every competitive game for Liverpool so far this season, but that sequence looks likely to end once Alexander Isak hits top speed, a top pundit has explained, though TEAMtalk can explain how and why Arne Slot will still afford the Frenchman plenty of game time this season.

The Merseysiders have spent top dollar this summer assembling something of a dream squad for Slot. While they have freed up funds by offloading the likes of Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz, Caoimhin Kelleher, Harvey Elliott and Jarrel Quansah, Liverpool have still been able to splash some £440m (€508m, $600m) on new players, giving the defending champions a very fresh new look.

Four wins from four Premier League games – the latest at Burnley by the latest of margins – has suggested Liverpool are very much the team to beat again. And while some new signings have struggled somewhat – Milos Kerkez and Florian Wirtz both coming in for criticism – Ekitike has stood out for quite the opposite reasons.

Indeed, with three goals and an assist so far from his five games played, Slot will be cheered by the way the £79m (€92m, $108m) signing from Eintracht Frankfurt has hit the ground running.

However, with British record signing Isak waiting in the wings, Ekitike could suddenly find himself sidelined once the Swede gets himself up to full speed.

Despite that, pundit Danny Murphy insists Liverpool will have room for them both, despite his insistence that Isak will be Slot’s main man.

“I think Isak is going to start more of the games as a striker than Ekitike because he is more rounded,” Murphy told Match of the Day.

“Ekitike’s done great, and he is a younger player who is learning, and he can play different positions. Isak’s bright in terms of his link-up so I think that will help one or two of the others around him as well.

“It’s just so nice for the manager to have all these options. They are probably going to play over 60 games this season, hopefully. I think when Isak gets fit, it would be naive to think he’s not going to start in that position, and everyone else around him will play off him.”

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Isak v Ekitike battle gives Slot a beautiful dilemma – both will be needed

While some pundits, such as Paul Merson, have questioned the wisdom of Liverpool spending such a heavy fee on Ekitike when they went on to buy Isak, it is fair to say that, over a long, competitive season, Slot will absolutely have the need to call upon both.

For starters, Isak has arrived at Anfield without a dedicated pre-season behind him and, having been left out of the matchday squad that claimed victory at Turf Moor, Slot has already promised that it will take time for the Swede to get up to speed.

That automatically means that Ekitike looks likely to start the next few games at least, with Slot indicating he will only look to the next run of games to build up Isak’s minutes slowly and having already admitted “his body isn’t ready” for a full match just yet.

Even so, the Swede has missed a fair chunk of games during his career with a variety of muscular injuries. And while he is likely to be the main man for Liverpool when fit, football is a squad game these days and the very top sides all have strong competition in every position.

If all goes to plan for Slot, Liverpool are also likely to play a 60-plus game season as they chase glory across four competitions.

Even then, it might not be a case of one or the other with Ekitike adept at filling into another attacking position and this feature analysing exactly how Slot can play both at the same time.

Either way, it’s a beautiful problem for Slot to have, and the dilemma will make him the envy of many managers the world over.

Liverpool latest: Real Madrid ‘going all out’ for Konate; record to break again?

On the subject of Isak, the Swede has been warned he would face ‘major repercussions’ if he used the tactics he deployed to get out of Newcastle to seal a move away from Liverpool in the future, TEAMtalk has been exclusively told by a former Reds striker.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid are planning to make a bid for Ibrahima Konate in the January transfer window and put Liverpool in a conundrum, according to a report in Spain.

And finally, Liverpool have been told they will need to fork out a fee close to their transfer record if they want to prise a top Bundesliga star to Anfield in 2026 amid suggestions Slot has a plan in place to phase out an all-time club great.

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