Isak vows to 'make history' with Liverpool

Liverpool striker Alexander Isak vowed to make history with the Premier League champion after finally completing his British-record 125-million-pound ($169 million) move from Newcastle on Monday.

Isak agreed a reported six-year contract with the Reds after they convinced Newcastle to accept an improved bid ahead of the Premier League's transfer deadline.

The 25-year-old's arrival at Anfield will increase the expectation that Liverpool is set for a dominant period, and Isak is happy to shoulder the burden.

"I think it's a mixture of what the club is building, but what they're building on top of what the club already is. The history of the club. Me getting the chance to be a part of this, I want to create history," Isak said.

"I want to win trophies. That's ultimately the biggest motivation for me.

"I feel like this is the perfect place for me to grow even further, to take my game to the next level and help the team as well."

Arne Slot's side had a 110 million-pound offer rejected by Newcastle in August, but Isak's determination to force through the move paid off after the transfer saga grew increasingly tetchy.

Isak told Newcastle he wanted to leave and, rather than linking up with Eddie Howe's team, spent part of the preseason training alone at his former club Real Sociedad.

He was left out of Newcastle's preseason tour of Asia with what was said to be a thigh injury, and accused the Magpies hierarchy of breaking a commitment that he could leave if a suitable offer came in from a top club.

Howe had repeatedly stated his desire to keep Isak, who scored 27 times in 42 appearances in all competitions last season.

Isak's goals helped secure Champions League qualification and ended Newcastle's 56-year trophy drought with its League Cup final win over his new club Liverpool.

But, Newcastle's swoop for Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade on Saturday paved the way for the Swedish forward to secure his dream move.

"It has been a long summer, but I'm just looking forward, not looking at the past," Isak said.

"It's done now, and I know I can get back to doing what I love the most. Really looking forward to it. I want to win everything."

Unprecedented spree

Isak's move to Anfield takes Liverpool's spending on new signings to an estimated 416 million pounds since the end of last season.

Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Giorgi Mamardashvili, Armin Pecsi and Giovanni Leoni are Liverpool's other major new recruits.

The Reds' spending has shattered the previous summer window record outlay by a Premier League club of 400 million pounds, set by Chelsea in 2023.

The Reds had already broken their own transfer record to land Leverkusen playmaker Wirtz for an initial 100 million pounds, before Isak's move set a new mark for a fee paid by a British club.

Chelsea held the previous record with its 107-million-pound signing of Enzo Fernandez in 2023.

Slot is looking to cement Liverpool's hold on the Premier League title, while also challenging for a seventh Champions League crown.

If Liverpool can win the Premier League again this season it would take it past Manchester United alone as the most successful team in English top-flight history, with 21 league titles.

The Reds have not won the title in successive seasons since claiming three in a row from 1982-84.

With Isak now the fulcrum of Liverpool's formidable attack, Slot will be under pressure to deliver the record-breaking title.

The Dutchman has a wealth of forward options, with new signings Isak, Wirtz and Ekitike joining Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo and Federico Chiesa.

The spending spree marks a dramatic shift in policy for Liverpool, with Chiesa the only senior arrival at Anfield during the 2024 summer window, for an initial fee of 10 million pounds.

Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Jarell Quansah, Caoimhin Kelleher, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Tyler Morton and Ben Doak have all been sold, with the club recouping around 190 million pounds.

Slot's men already sit top of the league, the only club with a 100 percent record after beating title rival Arsenal 1-0 on Sunday to make it three successive victories.

AFP