This is not how Alexander Isak envisaged his first year at Anfield panning out following his protracted £125m move from Newcastle United last September.
The Premier League’s most expensive player of all time scored just four goals and did not feature across four months of the campaign.
So what happened, and how did one high-profile deal end up damaging the season for two giant clubs of English football?
One of the many reasons why Isak pushed so hard to leave Newcastle was because he was hellbent on winning the biggest prizes in the game.
Isak looked well placed to quickly realise that ambition with Liverpool, the then-Premier League champions.
The Reds had been widely considered to be favourites for another title after landing Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and others in a bumper summer transfer window.
However, Arne Slot’s sacking at the end of the 2025-26 campaign spoke volumes about what proved to be Liverpool’s underwhelming trophy defence.
After a chaotic summer, in which he went on strike to force through a British record move, and a series of injuries, Isak endured his worst goalscoring season since the 2017-18 campaign for Borussia Dortmund, in which he only played 12 times.
Those at the club firmly believe 2025-26 was a freak campaign for Isak, who only played 21% of the total minutes for Liverpool in the Premier League.
Isak suffered a broken leg in December and, by the latter stages of the season, Liverpool were unwilling to risk him whenever he picked up minor concerns.