Isak lifts the lid: this is what drove me to leave Newcastle and choose Liverpool
Behind the scenes of the £125 million deal
Sweden's Alexander Isak has confirmed that his move to Liverpool during the last summer transfer window was an easy decision, pointing to the club's stature, its ambitions and its strong desire to sign him as the decisive factors.
Isak joined Liverpool from Newcastle on the final day of the transfer window in September 2025 for 125 million pounds sterling, a deal that became the most expensive in British transfer history.
Speaking to the programme "The Football Interview" on the "BBC Sport" network, the Swedish striker said: "Liverpool is a huge club, and everything about the club made the decision very clear, and the club's ambition and its desire to sign me were a big part of my decision."
Last season, Isak missed pre-season amid uncertainty over his Newcastle future, training instead with his former club Real Sociedad. He had already claimed that some of the promises he received at Newcastle went unfulfilled.
The start at Liverpool proved anything but smooth. Isak struggled to find the net in his first season, then broke his leg, an injury that kept him off the pitch between December and April.
Yet the 26-year-old insists he has no regrets over the move to Anfield. "No, never," he said. "I never thought about it that way at all."
He added: "The broken leg was a difficult thing, and anyone who has suffered a long injury knows how hard that is, but when you are in a good place and feel good, you do not tend to look back, because that will not benefit you in anything. I am looking to the future and feel great optimism and enthusiasm for this season."
Over the summer, Isak made his first World Cup appearance with Sweden, following a Liverpool campaign of just 22 matches and 1,032 minutes. He scored once and set up three goals for his country before France knocked them out in the round of 32.
The tournament, he explained, arrived at the perfect moment. "Playing for your country at the World Cup is a dream that most people have. And after the injuries I suffered from last season, the tournament gave me the chance to play and regain match rhythm and my technical level."
Tactically, Isak revealed that Andoni Iraola, the new Liverpool manager who succeeded Arne Slot, wants him pressing and defending from the front as part of the team's attacking system.
He said: "The manager asks me to take part in defending, but in positions that allow us, upon regaining the ball, to launch fast counter-attacks and move the ball to the front line. He wants me to score goals, but he also wants me to defend."
Iraola's philosophy, Isak noted, relies on intensity, high pressing and direct play. That style, he believes, can help both him and the team score more goals.
Isak has 60 goals in the Premier League. His best return came in 2024-2025, when he struck 23 times in a Newcastle shirt.
He is desperate to help Liverpool win trophies, but the Swede refuses to set himself specific goalscoring targets. "Everyone knows that success for this club means winning titles. I want to score in every match, but I am the type who does not set specific personal targets."
