What should have been a triumphant moment for Liverpool’s Alexander Isak, a well-taken goal to break the deadlock against Tottenham Hotspur, has instead become the source of profound anxiety for the club and its supporters.
The Swedish striker, signed for a British record £125 million only months ago, is now facing a potentially season-altering injury that threatens to derail both his difficult start at Anfield and Liverpool’s hard-won momentum.
The incident occurred in the 56th minute of Saturday’s tense 2-1 victory in North London. After latching onto a perfectly weighted through ball from Florian Wirtz, Isak calmly slotted past the Tottenham goalkeeper to give Liverpool the lead. His celebration, however, was immediately cut short.
As he followed through on his shot, the trailing leg of Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven caught him in a scissor-tackle motion. Isak crumpled to the ground, clutching his left leg, and signaled instantly for medical attention.
Despite several minutes of treatment on the pitch, the 26-year-old was unable to continue. He was eventually helped down the tunnel by Liverpool’s medical staff, a stretcher having been brought onto the field but ultimately not used.
The immediate reaction from manager Arne Slot was telling. In his post-match comments, the Dutch coach offered a grim, instinctive assessment. “I don’t have any news on him,” Slot admitted, “but if a player scores, then gets injured and then doesn’t come back on the pitch and doesn’t try to come back… that’s usually not a good thing.”
He reiterated this sentiment in a separate interview, adding, “It’s never a nice thing that after the goal he collided with their defender. Hopefully he’s fine, but we have to wait and see.”
The club’s fears appear to be well-founded. While an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, a catastrophe that would have ended Isak’s season, has been ruled out, multiple reports indicate Liverpool now suspect a serious lower-leg injury, with a broken leg or significant fracture at the forefront of concerns.
The player underwent an MRI scan on Sunday, with the results expected to confirm the exact nature and severity of the damage. A recovery timeline remains speculative but ominous.
Medical analysis cited by various reports suggests a “significant” injury of this type could sideline Isak for a minimum of eight to twelve weeks, with a more severe fracture potentially keeping him out for several months, possibly until April or May. This stands in stark contrast to the initially feared ACL injury, which carries a minimum nine-month recovery, but nonetheless represents a crushing blow.
The timing of this setback could hardly be worse, for both player and club. For Isak, this injury compounds a frustrating and disjointed beginning to his Liverpool career. Arriving on transfer deadline day without a proper pre-season, he has struggled for both fitness and form.
A groin injury had already sidelined him for five games between October and November. In 16 appearances across all competitions, he has managed just three goals, with his strike against Tottenham being only his second in the Premier League.
For Liverpool, the injury creates a critical shortage in attacking options at a pivotal point in the season. The club is already without star forward Mohamed Salah, who is on international duty with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Fellow attacker Cody Gakpo is also sidelined with a muscle injury. This leaves summer signing Hugo Ekitike as the only fit, senior recognized centre-forward at Slot’s disposal. The 23-year-old Frenchman, who scored Liverpool’s second goal against Tottenham, has enjoyed a far more productive start than Isak, netting 11 times this season, including five in his last four league games.
Former Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given highlighted the burden now falling on Ekitike. “It’s a big loss if Isak has gone off injured again,” Given said on BBC’s Match of the Day. “He’s had a stop-start campaign so far. But, Ekitike looks the real deal, doesn’t he? A brilliant striker, and he’ll have to step up.”
The coming weeks will test Liverpool’s squad depth severely, with a demanding schedule featuring league matches against Wolves, Leeds, Fulham, and leaders Arsenal, alongside the commencement of their FA Cup campaign and crucial Champions League fixtures.
Consequently, the injury has intensified scrutiny on Liverpool’s plans for the January transfer window, which opens in just over a week. Prior to Saturday’s match, Slot had played down expectations of major spending, telling reporters, “The outside world wants to believe we have unlimited money but that is not true.”
However, the loss of a £125 million asset for a prolonged period may force a strategic reconsideration. According to reports from The Athletic and others, Bournemouth’s versatile Ghanaian forward Antoine Semenyo has emerged as a primary target.
Semenyo is believed to have a £65 million release clause active during the first two weeks of January, though Liverpool are said to face competition from Manchester United and Manchester City for his signature.