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Arne Slot admits he still needs to familiarize himself with Alexander Isak after admitting he has barely spoken to Liverpool's new record signing.
Slot's admission echoes Mohamed Salah's earlier comments about needing to build an on-pitch relationship with another new signing in Hugo Ekitike, which indicates that the Reds are undergoing a period of transition.
Liverpool splurged around £450 million ($600M) on new players during the summer window, including a British transfer record sum of £120M ($162M) for Isak alone on deadline day. It concluded a lengthy transfer saga surrounding the Swedish forward, who faced widespread criticism for how he forced his departure from Newcastle.
But despite eventually securing his highly-anticipated move, Isak has barely had time to get to know his Liverpool team-mates and hasn’t yet played for the team, owing to the recent international break.
That led to an honest response from Slot when quizzed about Isak's character during Friday's press conference before this weekend's trip to Burnley, as the Reds aim to secure four victories from four in the Premier League.
The Dutchman said: “Maybe you won’t believe me but I haven't spoken to him that much. I phoned him after he signed and he had to go to Sweden [for international duty] but 99 percent of the time during breaks, I leave the players to their national team managers.
“I texted him once or twice but I do have to get to know him in the upcoming days and weeks. But we have such a great culture here at this club, so we sign players for their qualities and I know how good he is, what a quality player he is.
"I don't think you can compare any situation with another; different owners, different situations, you cannot compare (Isak and Marc Guehi). I felt all the way we needed another attacking player, so I’m happy we could get the one we wanted."
Of course, Isak was not Slot’s first forward signing of the summer, having bought Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt for £79M ($107M) just weeks prior. The France international made an instant impact at Anfield, netting three times in his opening three competitive games for the Reds.
But talisman Salah mirrored Slot's sentiments by acknowledging that he needs more time to get to know Ekitike and understand his game for things to go smoothly on the pitch. That suggests the new arrivals haven't quite clicked yet and things may temporarily get worse for the reigning Premier League champions before they improve.
Salah said: “So far I haven't figured the connections out yet. Like with Darwin Nunez or Lucho [Luis Diaz], the guys that used to play in front, or Diogo Jota. I knew where to start with Diogo or Darwin. I know where to find them. I knew their game very well but with Hugo, he's still new.
“Sometimes I need the ball in the field. Sometimes we need [it] in space. We will try to figure that out through training sessions and videos. The manager shows us. So I will figure it out soon because it's going to help my game to grow as well.”
Despite Salah's candid comments and concerns, Liverpool grinded out a perfect league record heading into the international break, becoming the only side to win all three games. During their disappointing opener against Bournemouth, they needed two late strikes to clinch a victory at home.
They then needed a 100th minute winner to claim all three points against ten-man Newcastle, having been two goals ahead, before Dominik Szoboszlai's spectacular free-kick late on against Arsenal separated the two title contenders.
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