2 weeks ago
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Further doubts have been cast over Liverpool's two priciest summer signings, Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, following a fourth consecutive defeat for Arne Slot's team against Manchester United on Sunday.
Isak, 26, was the last - and costliest - purchase in an extraordinary summer of spending by the Reds, who twice shattered the British transfer record to secure the former Newcastle striker and Wirtz, with the latter joining in a deal worth £116 million ($155.7 million) from Bayer Leverkusen back in June. Isak then arrived on deadline day for £125 million ($167.7 million), meaning the pair could end up costing Liverpool a staggering £241 million ($323.4 million) plus wages.
Regrettably for Liverpool and Slot, both Isak and Wirtz have struggled to make an immediate impact in the early weeks of the season, with criticism mounting on both players following another loss for the Reds.
Wirtz has yet to contribute a goal in his first 10 appearances in a Liverpool jersey, not including his assist in the Community Shield, and started a second consecutive Premier League match on the bench against United. Isak, on the other hand, seemed out of sync after not participating in preseason for Newcastle.
While Slot insists now is the time to evaluate Isak, emphasising that the Swedish star is now up to speed, Wayne Rooney believes the former Real Sociedad star should not currently be the first choice ahead of Hugo Ekitike, who has impressed since moving to Anfield, reports the Mirror.
"I wouldn't play Isak, he hasn't looked ready since coming from Newcastle," Rooney said on The Wayne Rooney Show. "He hasn't trained, hasn't had a pre-season. It's so important. While Newcastle were training he was probably sat at home on the phone to his agent for six hours a day trying to get a move.
"It's so difficult when you don't have a pre-season. He might've done stuff by himself but he's paying the price of it. On performances, he doesn't deserve to be playing ahead of Ekitike."
While Isak's recent showing has come under fire, Wirtz has equally faced criticism from pundits, with Emmanuel Petit suggesting before Sunday's major clash against United that the German playmaker doesn't justify the amount of money Liverpool splashed out during the summer transfer window.
Isak possesses the advantage of being an established Premier League performer, yet Wirtz represents a different proposition entirely, and Jamie Carragher acknowledged that doubts surrounding the ex-Leverkusen talent are set to persist, with some potentially questioning whether his acquisition was an error should he fail to reach peak condition before early 2026.
"How long do you give foreign players when they first come to the league? You don't write the first year off but you say the second year they'll improve and get better," he said on Sky Sports.
"But, if I'm being honest, if I think of the great foreign signings - Sami Hyppia, Mo Salah, Sadio Mane, Luis Suarez, Didi Hamann - they all hit the ground running.
"I can't think of many, who had an average, poor start - I'm not talking seven games by the way but if you're getting to Christmas and January and being like, 'Oh.' History doesn't tell me that foreign signings coming into England take a year."
He continued: "Seven or eight games is too early [to judge] but once we get to January, February, March when is the time we can start saying 'maybe this was a mistake?'
"Especially at Liverpool, players who are great foreign signings for the club hit the ground running."
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