How Liverpool can use Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike in unreal new attack

Liverpool boss Arne Slot will be salivating at the prospect of his attacking options for their title defence after the club pulled off a record-breaking deal for Alexander Isak on deadline day.

The ink had barely dried on the contract signed by Hugo Ekitike as Liverpool’s new £79m striker before it began to filter onto their radar that Isak might be gettable as well. Previously, it looked as if Ekitike was the Isak alternative – ironically, having been identified by Newcastle United as a potential successor to the Swedish striker before – but now they have become teammates.

Isak told Newcastle he wanted to leave, with his gaze firmly fixed on how to get to Liverpool. His wish came true when the Reds broke their transfer record for the second time this summer, after buying Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for up to £116m.

Although Isak’s lack of match sharpness might delay his first start – not too much of an issue when Ekitike scored in all three of his first appearances for the club – it presents Liverpool with the tantalising and perhaps unexpected prospect of having the two players in the same squad.

Liverpool began 2025 wondering whether Mohamed Salah would be staying, but after the brilliant news of him signing a contract renewal until 2027 in April, Slot has added another element to his attack with Ekitike and has stacked up another in the shape of Isak.

But with Isak and Ekitike both preferring the centre-forward role and Slot usually only playing one of those at once, how will it all fit together and what do the statistics suggest about each striker’s style?

There’s little doubt that Isak will be expected to be the main starting striker. During his three-year spell with Newcastle, he has proven himself as one of the best strikers in the Premier League and indeed world.

He scored 27 goals from 42 games in all competitions last season for Newcastle, compared to Ekitike’s 22 in 48 for Eintracht Frankfurt.

Considering their performances in the Premier League and Bundesliga only, Isak scored 23 league goals and Ekitike got 15.

Of those, 20 of Isak’s were from inside the box and three were from outside. In contrast, all of Ekitike’s were from inside the box, so we can expect him to be someone getting on the end of chances closer to the opponent’s goal with poaching instincts and Isak having more variety to his awareness of shooting chances.

Nevertheless, the average distance of Ekitike’s shots was 15.3 yards, longer than Isak’s average of 14.5 yards.

Both players are right-footed, with Isak notching 17 goals with his preferred foot and Ekitike getting 10. There were two weak-foot goals for Isak and three for Ekitike, plus four headers for the former and two for the latter.

Isak also took on more responsibility from penalties, scoring four times from the spot, whereas Ekitike only scored one penalty.

Ekitike was the more frequent shooter last season with 3.1 per 90 minutes, compared to Isak’s 2.5, which also meant more shots on target (1.7 compared to 1.5). However, Isak’s accuracy was actually better, with 60.5% of his shots being on target compared to 55.2% of Ekitike’s, and the Swede’s conversion rate was considerably better, at 30.3% compared to 17.2%.

That said, Ekitike’s xG (expected goals) tally was higher, at 21.6 compared to Isak’s 20.3.

Regardless of the finer details, both players know where the back of the net is. But how will they operate in general play and get involved with attacking colleagues like Salah and Cody Gakpo?

How Isak and Ekitike compare for passing and chance creation

Ekitike made double the number of assists Isak did last season in all competitions, boasting 12 in contrast to Isak’s six.

The number of passes they completed per 90 minutes in their leagues was similar (16.5 for Isak and 16.7 for Ekitike), but if we break down what kind of passes these were, we start to get a glimpse into their differing styles of play.

Isak (5.0) averaged more forward passes than Ekitike (4.3), whereas Ekitike (8.3) averaged more backward passes than Isak (6.1).

This doesn’t necessarily mean Ekitike’s approach was more negative; it can be explained by his superior number of lay-offs (2.4 compared to 1.6).

In fact, Ekitike (0.3) averaged more through balls than Isak (0.2) and passes into the penalty area (1.09 compared to 1.01) – although Isak made more passes into the final third (1.14 compared to 0.84) and considerably more progressive passes (2.88 compared to 1.86).

What does that indicate? At face value, it suggests Ekitike prefers to play with his back to goal and can stay higher up the pitch to bring other players into the game. New attacking midfielder Wirtz could benefit immeasurably.

Isak, on the other hand, is someone who can contribute to attacks from deeper as they build up and is inspirational in the way he helps his team drive up the pitch.

As stated, Isak should be the usual starter, but if Liverpool need to particularly focus on breaking down a low block, perhaps Ekitike could help them circulate possession into dangerous areas.

And if fielded together as a partnership, they could combine with their differing approaches. However, it seems difficult to picture them both starting in a 4-2-3-1.

After all, Isak and Ekitike had similar heatmaps last season, both hovering around the middle of the final third. If anything, Ekitike drifted slightly more to the left and Isak to the right, but they have both barely played as wingers in their careers. A weighty 97% of Isak’s career appearances have come at centre-forward and the proportion for Ekitike is 95%.

While Ekitike made 0.3 crosses per 90 minutes in the Bundesliga last season, compared to Isak’s 0.1 in the Premier League – and despite the vacancy on the left-hand side to be left by Diaz – the Frenchman might not be too suited to being shifted onto the wing to make room for Isak.

Now, Liverpool do have a right-winger who likes to come centrally in the shape of Salah, so Slot could use Ekitike on the other side of what would be a narrow front three, with width accommodated for by the new-look full-back combination of Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez, but it would still be an imbalance in terms of profiles and might require a specialist defensive midfielder to sit in if both wing-backs have bombed on.

Instead, could Ekitike play in behind Isak? For a player who averages more carries into the final third (2.00 compared to 1.37), it might seem feasible, but then again, Ekitike also averages more carries into the penalty area (1.82 compared to 1.41) and touches in the opposition box (7.2 compared to 6.9) – and besides, Wirtz will almost undeniably have the no.10 role nailed down after his British record-setting move. Appearances out wide have also been extremely rare for the German playmaker.

If it is one or the other then, in terms of Liverpool’s new strikers with Isak on board, what else sets them apart?

One point of difference is their aerial success. Isak is an inch taller than Ekitike, but the latter actually had better metrics for aerial duels last season: Ekitike won 1.9 per 90 minutes, more than double Isak’s 0.9. Ekitike’s aerial success rate was 46%, whereas Isak’s was 32.5%.

Although as mentioned earlier Isak scored twice as many headers in his league as Ekitike last term, either will be able to feast on the delivery by Frimpong and Kerkez, which Slot will be hoping is as effective as Trent Alexander-Arnold’s and Andy Robertson’s was in their Anfield prime.

Ekitike’s averages were also higher for take-ons completed (1.9 compared to 1.4), progressive carries (3.26 compared to 2.71) and chances created (1.5 compared to 1.4), not to mention ball recoveries (3.1 compared to 1.8), which indicates his alertness off the ball to pick up possession.

But statistics can only tell part of the story, especially when the players have been in different leagues, with different instructions and tactics imparted on them.

In terms of the eye test, Isak has already passed with flying colours right in front of Liverpool; it’s no wonder they went for him without hesitation upon the hint of him becoming available.

Thus, it will be horses for courses if Slot succeeds in adding Isak to his attacking ranks. If anyone doubted Liverpool were serious about bringing in an upgrade for Darwin Nunez, those fears have been blown completely away in even greater measure than the most optimistic Kopites could have imagined.

And with Salah sticking around on the right wing, Liverpool will have an attack that most of their rivals could only dream of.

The question is, do they have enough depth on the flanks?

Presuming Salah and Gakpo are the starting wingers, Liverpool can turn to Federico Chiesa and Rio Ngumoha as rotation options.

But what if Slot has more of a 4-3-2-1 in mind with Wirtz and Salah in behind either Isak or Ekitike? In theory, that system may help Salah if he starts to lose some of his blistering pace, while it would also give attacking freedom to the wing-backs and give Dominik Szoboszlai the chance to keep playing regularly in midfield along with Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch.

But it’s a shape Slot has never really used before, so until any patterns emerge in his lineups over the next few weeks, it will all be a guessing game.

Likewise, could Liverpool transition to a 3-4-2-1 or 3-4-1-2 in the future? The signing of Frimpong, who played as a wing-back for Bayer Leverkusen, could be a clue towards a future change, potentially when Salah leaves. But that topic will be a distant one.

For now, Slot will be having some interesting thoughts on how (and when) to get Isak integrated into his team, along with keeping up Ekitike’s form.

Will Liverpool change the formation they raced to the 2024-25 Premier League title with? Or are there going to be some big names on the bench? Either way, Liverpool’s strength in depth is looking scary after the signing of Isak.

A front three of Salah, Isak and Gakpo, with Ekitike a luxury in reserve, is a strong starting point for Liverpool.

They’ve sent a statement of intent with their business since becoming Premier League champions earlier this year. With Isak on board too, they will undoubtedly be viewed by rivals as the team to keep pace with in the 2025-26 title race.

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