£125m Liverpool star is now starting to show his real quality

£125m Liverpool star is now starting to show his real quality Alexander Isak Rewarding Liverpool’s £125m Patience as Andoni Iraola’s Attack Starts to Click Liverpool have waited a while for Alexander Isak to look fully at home at Anfield, but there is now a growing sense that the club’s patience is being repaid in precisely the way they hoped when committing a British record £125m to bring him in from Newcastle United in August 2025. The latest evidence came in the 2-0 win over Brighton, a result that felt significant for more than one reason. It continued Liverpool’s upward movement under Andoni Iraola, delivered a fourth consecutive victory, and again placed Isak at the centre of the decisive moment. As reported by BBC Football, the Sweden international has now taken his league tally to six already, a sharp contrast to the difficult opening chapter of his Liverpool career. That first season could easily have shaped an unfair narrative around him. A slow start was then compounded by a broken leg in December, and the numbers, four goals in 22 appearances, inevitably invited outside scrutiny. Inside Liverpool, though, the view appears to have been steadier and more measured. This was framed as a long-term investment in an elite forward, not a deal to be judged in a matter of months, especially when fitness was such a clear barrier. That stance increasingly looks well founded. Photo: IMAGO Isak form giving Liverpool a focal point For all the understandable fascination with transfer fees, the more relevant question is whether a forward can alter outcomes at the highest level. Isak is doing that now. He did not dominate every phase against Brighton, and there were long spells when Liverpool had to work without the ball, but he still delivered the moment that gave his side control of the contest. There is a lot to like about the nature of his recent goals. They have not all arrived in chaotic, one-sided games where space is abundant and pressure is low. Instead, several have come in matches where Liverpool needed precision, timing and ruthlessness. That is often what separates a promising spell from genuine top-level form. Only Erling Haaland has scored more Premier League goals this season, which immediately places Isak in rare company. More strikingly, he has supplied more than half of Liverpool’s league goals so far. That level of dependence is not ideal over a full campaign, but in the short term it underlines how important he has become to Iraola’s team. It also feels relevant that Isak still has room to improve. His rhythm is returning, his movements look sharper, and his confidence in key moments is clearly building, yet there remains a sense that the very best version of him has not fully arrived. For opponents, that will not be especially comforting. Iraola approach taking shape at Anfield The Brighton result also said plenty about the emerging character of this Liverpool side. Iraola has long shown a willingness to concede possession if it serves a bigger tactical purpose, and this was another example of that thinking. Liverpool had only 35.6% of the ball, a notably low figure for a home win, but the game rarely felt uncontrolled. Brighton came into the contest in excellent attacking form and still saw plenty of the ball, yet Liverpool defended with authority and protected their box well. Ronald Araujo’s influence stood out again, while the clean sheet reflected a broader defensive cohesion that has been building. Four shutouts in eight league games points to a team learning quickly what its head coach demands. There was aggression in the press, commitment in recovery runs and a general clarity to Liverpool’s play. The opening goal carried an element of fortune, with Florian Wirtz’s effort taking a deflection off Pascal Gross, but it arrived during a period when Liverpool were causing real problems through energy and directness. Then came the second, and it probably captured Iraola’s ideal more clearly than anything else on the afternoon. Bradley Barcola forced the issue, won the duel and accelerated the attack. Isak then did what elite strikers are paid to do, he finished instinctively. Barcola and Wirtz add to Liverpool attack There is a wider point here beyond Isak alone. Liverpool’s attacking structure is beginning to show layers. Barcola brings urgency and disruption, the kind of wide threat that can shift momentum inside a stadium. Wirtz offers subtlety, intelligence and the ability to influence passages between the lines. Cody Gakpo remains a dangerous presence too, stretching play and asking questions of defenders. If those elements continue to develop together, Isak should keep benefiting. Service matters, especially for a striker whose movement can be so damaging when deliveries arrive early and accurately. Iraola made that point himself when discussing how Liverpool can get the best from their centre-forward, and it was reflected in the sequence that created the clinching goal. There will be some concern over Wirtz after he came off with an ankle issue, particularly with matches arriving every three days. Squad depth will matter as the season progresses, and Liverpool need their creative players available if they are to sustain this momentum. Arsenal test can show how far Liverpool have come Next up in the league comes Arsenal, and that feels like an especially useful marker. Liverpool have moved up to fourth and the mood around the side is clearly improving, but these are the fixtures that reveal the true pace of a team’s development. What seems clear already is that Isak is beginning to justify both the faith and the fee. Big-money signings can carry an exhausting weight of expectation, particularly after an opening season shaped by injury and inconsistency. Liverpool resisted the temptation to make a premature judgement and are now seeing the upside of that calm approach. If Isak stays fit, and if Barcola and Wirtz continue to sharpen Liverpool’s attack, there is every chance this conversation will move quickly from whether he is living up to £125m, to whether he can drive Iraola’s side into the highest reaches of the Premier League table. Source: BBC FOOTBALL