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After yet another day of twists and turns in the Alexander Isak transfer saga, Arne Slot must be somewhat relieved to have an actual game to focus on.
The Liverpool boss has managed to avoid answering too many questions on the the Reds’ interest in the Newcastle striker, but Friday’s press conference ahead of the Community Shield likely signalled what he can expect for the next three weeks at least.
In his usual manner, Slot batted away the question on Isak, instead choosing to focus on those players already in his squad. As the speculation grows, though, there is going to be no avoiding what has become the hottest topic on Merseyside.
Not a day goes by now without some form of update on Isak, and Saturday was full of them. It started with claims that he had turned down a new contract at St. James’ Park, then developed into Newcastle’s owners telling him he was going nowhere, and by the end of the day, Eddie Howe seemed to have left the door open to an exit. Talk about a rollercoaster ride.
In among all these twists, the one thing we still don’t know is whether Liverpool will make another play for him, having already had a staggering $146 million offer turned down. But maybe Slot will drop a hint on that on Sunday.
Don’t expect him to tell anyone in the media, but we might be able to spot something in his squad at Wembley.
Although fans will always be split on the importance of the Community Shield, it is in effect the first game of the new season, and it also tends to be the first time you get a true sense of just what a coach is cooking.
With Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez now out of the picture, it will be interesting to see just who Slot selects among his attacking options. Mohamed Salah, Hugo Ekitike, and Cody Gakpo are likely to make up the first-choice front three, but what about beyond that?
Well, Federico Chiesa is still around, despite the ongoing links with a move back to Italy, and Slot has also backed 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha to make an impact this season after such an impressive summer.
"I don't know what senior players exactly means," Slot said on Friday. "Does that mean that you play for your country or you are a certain age?
"Because a player like Rio showed in the last few games he played for us that at senior level he can have an impact as well. I think, we think, we already have a lot of attacking power in our team when I think about Cody Gakpo, Federico Chiesa, Hugo Ekitike, Mo Salah, Jeremie Frimpong, who can play as a right-winger, and Florian Wirtz, who can play as a left-winger.
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"I already feel I have a lot of attacking options in my current squad. But as always, as a club we are always looking at the chances in the market – but that can also be in the midfield or in the last line."
So Slot isn’t ruling out dipping back into the market for a new forward, and if Chiesa and Ngumoha are in the squad against Crystal Palace, that would be two options each for either wing, with Wirtz and Frimpong acting as further back-up.
But there’s still just the one out-and-out No. 9 in the ranks, and perhaps that will be Slot’s way of indicating that the pursuit of Isak is far from over.
If not him, then you’d have to imagine that Liverpool will still look to bring another striker into the ranks, with the Reds’ boss potentially confirming his side’s remaining transfer plans on Sunday - even if he doesn’t say it out loud.
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