Carragher Urges Slot to Ditch ‘Isak or No One’ Approach Amid £130m Price and Fitness Fears
As the transfer saga involving Alexander Isak and a potential move to Liverpool dragged on, club legend Jamie Carragher offered stark advice to new manager Arne Slot, urging him to look elsewhere rather than be held ransom for the Newcastle striker.
Writing in his column, Carragher expressed concern over the escalating price tag—reportedly around £130 million—calling it “excessive.” He acknowledged Isak’s talent, which stood out to him from the moment the Swedish international debuted against Liverpool, but highlighted two major red flags for the Reds.
“Liverpool must be ruthless. It cannot be ‘Isak or no one’,” Carragher warned, stressing the need for the club to execute a Plan B swiftly to avoid jeopardizing their season.
His primary worry was Isak’s durability, noting the striker’s significant injury record. Carragher pointed out that Isak had “failed to start 36 league games over his three seasons in England,” which is nearly a full season missed, adding that he is “yet to prove he has the durability of Salah.” Carragher also noted that ten of Isak’s last 44 league goals were penalties.
Furthermore, the former defender was highly critical of the player’s conduct at Newcastle, which involved reports of him refusing to play for Eddie Howe. Carragher blasted the stance as “unacceptable” for a professional still under contract, writing: “Today, it is Eddie Howe’s crisis. It could be Arne Slot’s soon.”
While the pundit made it clear he would “like to see the Swedish striker become a Liverpool player,” he insisted it should not be “at any cost,” citing his own experience with Fernando Torres at Liverpool as an example of how a disruptive, wantaway player can become a “nightmare” for a club. For Carragher, the risks—in terms of cost, fitness, and attitude—were simply too high for Slot to pin all his hopes on the Newcastle forward.
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