
Anfield Index
·5 September 2025
Liverpool Make Alexander Isak Decision Ahead of Burnley Clash

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·5 September 2025
Liverpool’s £125 million signing of Alexander Isak has stirred anticipation across Merseyside. The 25-year-old striker arrives as the club’s new No. 9, with expectations sky high following his move from Newcastle United. The Daily Mail reports that Liverpool have mapped out a careful plan to integrate him, balancing his need for match sharpness with the importance of protecting a player who has not featured competitively since May.
While the timing of the international break may have left many fans impatient to see their new star, it could serve a valuable purpose. Isak is expected to feature for Sweden against Slovenia and Kosovo, opportunities that should help him gain rhythm after several months away from competitive football. Liverpool will be watching closely to ensure he gets useful minutes without being overworked.
When Isak returns to Merseyside, the plan is for him to join full training at the AXA Training Centre on Thursday 11 September. According to The Daily Mail, there are no current plans for an individual fitness programme, though his workload will be monitored. This signals trust in his physical condition, while also showing the club’s intent to bed him in sensibly.
Liverpool face Burnley on Sunday 14 September and reports suggest Isak is likely to be in the squad, albeit starting from the bench. Arne Slot appears keen to avoid rushing his record signing straight into the XI, a sensible decision given the packed schedule ahead. Three days after the Burnley clash comes Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, followed by the Merseyside Derby against Everton on 20 September.
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The prospect of Isak making his first start in that derby is enticing. Liverpool’s biggest signing since Virgil van Dijk could announce himself in similarly emphatic fashion should he find the net in that fixture.
Supporters will be eager to know when Isak will lead the line from kick-off. Burnley looks set to come too soon, while Atletico may also be deemed high risk for a debut. That leaves Everton as the most likely stage for his first meaningful contribution in red. Given the stakes of the derby, it could prove the perfect setting for Isak to begin his Liverpool story in earnest.
Liverpool’s patient integration of Isak speaks to a long-term vision. Slot and his staff clearly believe they have acquired a player capable of transforming their attack, and the measured approach underlines their determination to ensure he thrives for seasons to come.
For Liverpool supporters, this news is a thrill. To think that Alexander Isak could make his bow in a Merseyside Derby is spine-tingling. The club have not only signed a striker of immense quality, but also one who fits seamlessly with Arne Slot’s fluid, front-foot football. Isak’s pace, movement and clinical finishing could be exactly what this Liverpool side needs to elevate their already title-winning squad to another level.
Slot has already delivered the Premier League title in his debut campaign, and now he has been backed with one of Europe’s most exciting forwards. Fans will feel that Isak’s arrival could mark the beginning of a new dynasty at Anfield, one where domestic dominance is matched by European glory.
The careful management of his fitness shows that the club have learned from the past. Too often players have been thrown straight into action, sometimes with mixed results. Here, Liverpool are building a platform for Isak to explode onto the scene at the right moment. If that moment happens to be at Goodison Park, against the old rivals, it could become an instant classic in Liverpool folklore.
Isak wearing the No. 9 shirt at Anfield, scoring in front of the Kop, is an image supporters are desperate to see. This feels like more than a signing, it feels like a statement. Liverpool mean business again, and Isak might just be the striker to carry them to greatness.