Liverpool Chairman Reveals True Motivation Behind Alexander Isak Pursuit Following Hugo Ekitike Collapse
Liverpool chairman Tom Werner has revealed the club initially had no plans to acquire both Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitiké during the summer transfer window.
Following an unsuccessful first bid to Newcastle United for Isak valued at approximately £120 million ($162.9 million), Liverpool swiftly changed direction to secure Ekitiké ahead of the Magpies in a deal potentially worth £79 million, which subsequently prompted Isak to refuse to train in an attempt to push through his transfer to Anfield.
Liverpool made their position clear that they would only re-enter negotiations for Isak if Newcastle showed willingness to discuss terms, and it wasn't until the closing day of the summer transfer period that the Swedish striker's £125 million move to Anfield was finalized.
During an appearance on the It's Called Soccer podcast, Werner acknowledged the club was content to proceed with Ekitiké as their striker acquisition while the Isak transfer remained uncertain.
"Regarding the Newcastle situation, clearly their organization needed to secure a replacement," Werner stated. "We believed we presented an excellent financial proposal to them, but he was under contract with them for another three years.
"Our perspective was that we had brought in Ekitiké as a striker and we believed if things went well, that would be excellent, and if not, there would be another opportunity somewhere down the line."
The final day of transfers also witnessed Liverpool's attempt to sign Crystal Palace defender Marc Guéhi, who was authorized to complete medical examinations following a £35 million agreement, only for Palace to withdraw from the deal at the last moment.
"I wasn't any more informed than the press," Werner added. "I believed we were going to secure the defender from Crystal Palace! But I understood their position. Their team had begun [the season] impressively, and their chairman, my equivalent, stated, 'Listen, we simply cannot—whatever that entails—afford to lose him'."
With Ekitiké, Isak and Florian Wirtz as their marquee acquisitions, Liverpool conducted the most costly transfer window on record—an expenditure Werner considers essential to defend the Premier League championship.
"The reality is it's going to be extremely challenging," he stated. "Despite all the experts predicting we will claim the title this season, you can observe from our opening four fixtures how competitive the division is. We have shown resilience, we have been lucky.
"What I have discovered, and we remain relatively humble and modest regarding this, is we were very eager about reshaping the squad because it's extremely difficult to achieve back-to-back success.
"There was a strong commitment to recruiting new players, naturally to improve our quality. While there has been considerable discussion about our expenditure this season, we have been able to invest to this extent because we also transferred numerous players.
"One of the most positive aspects is that we haven't found our rhythm yet and I don't anticipate us to gel immediately. I believe part of our learning is that you cannot simply retain the same squad. You must introduce fresh energy and innovative concepts."