Alexander Isak will not turn 26 until later this month and has scored more than 20 Premier League goals in each of the past two seasons, a mark matched only by Erling Haaland. He functions as a modern centre-forward who blends pace, mobility, technical ability and finishing rather than relying on traditional target-man traits. Historical striker pairings of target-man/finisher or creator/finisher have given way to forwards combining multiple roles. A summer transfer window featured many tall, mobile strikers who are technically adept. Isak is not especially dominant in the air but still scored four headed goals last season.
On the face of it, it's not hard to see why Liverpool would want Alexander Isak. He will not turn 26 until later this month and has scored more than 20 Premier League goals in each of the past two seasons, something matched only by Erling Haaland. But he offers more than just goals; he's a very modern centre-forward. Thirty or 40 years ago, when 4-4-2 was still the dominant formation, strike pairings tended to come in two forms:
Isak is 6ft 4in, Benjamin Sesko and Nick Woltemade are 6ft 5in, Viktor Gyokeres, Hugo Ekitike and Randal Kolo Muani are 6ft 2in, and Liam Delap and Victor Osimhen are 6ft 1in, yet none of them could be classed as target men. All are mobile, all have technical ability and none are reliant on trundling to the back post to meet long diagonals.
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