On Wednesday night, amid the floodlights and feverish atmosphere of Anfield, Alexander Isak finally stepped onto the pitch as a Liverpool player.
The Reds’ record £125 million signing was at the heart of one of the summer’s longest-running sagas and now at last, he has had his debut.
For Liverpool supporters, it was worth the wait.
The 25-year-old striker was named in the starting XI for the Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid and played 58 minutes in what became a dramatic 3-2 victory. The roar when his name was announced before kick-off was telling. The ovation when he departed just before the hour mark was just as emphatic.
Afterwards, Isak went straight to social media on his Instagram account to thank the fans who had embraced him from the moment he walked onto the pitch.
“Amazing night to make my debut,” he posted on Instagram. “Thank you for the warm welcome reds! YNWA.”
That message came at the end of a turbulent few months for the Sweden international. Eager to make the move to Merseyside, Isak refused to join Newcastle United’s pre-season tour of the Far East and instead trained alone back on Tyneside. His stance put pressure on Newcastle to negotiate and, eventually, Liverpool got their man on the eve of deadline day.
The fee, a British record for a striker, only raised expectations further. But even as the deal was struck, Liverpool knew they would need to be patient. Isak had missed most of the summer’s preparation and only had 18 minutes in his legs from a substitute appearance for Sweden against Kosovo during the international break.
Arne Slot made a point of protecting him. The Liverpool manager left him out of the squad for the recent Premier League trip to Burnley, holding him back specifically for this fixture. Slot had indicated before the game that Isak should be capable of “at least 45 minutes” against Atletico. What followed was an encouraging hour-long display that hinted at what is to come.
After the match, Slot admitted even he had been taken aback by how sharp Isak looked.
“I was positively surprised by how fit he was during that 60 minutes,” the Dutchman said. “But that maybe, probably, tells you that it might be a difference to sign a 20-year-old from a different league or a 25 or 26-year-old that is used to playing in this league.”
Slot drew the distinction between a younger recruit needing time to adapt and a player like Isak, who has been competing at the top level for several years.
“Although he only trained for two weeks, he has so many games under his belt that he is probably more able to be ready for 60. But I was positively surprised how fit he was; I wasn’t surprised by his quality because that’s what we all know.
“You don’t have to be a manager to recognise how much quality he has. But it’s always nice to see if a player starts the way he starts, like Hugo Ekitike started the same as he did.”
For Slot, this was about foundations. Isak’s quality was never in doubt the challenge is building his rhythm in the weeks ahead.
“Yeah, a good start, only 60 minutes and now we have to build him up from here. But I can tell you he is not going to play 90 again on Saturday.”
There will be more to come. Liverpool fans saw flashes of his link-up play, his movement, and his work rate off the ball. Isak himself saw the passion and noise of Anfield at full volume. His message afterwards was short but clear this is the beginning.
