Slot’s “machine” looks like a new Salah-type player for Liverpool

Who is the Liverpool star striker? Is he still Mohamed Salah?

And just in May, the 33-year-old picked up several individual accolades for his side’s triumph with Liverpool. For his iconic role in Arne Slott’s triumphant debut campaign, Salah removed any doubts about him being one of the greatest players in Premier League history.

But even Salah will retire one day, and his start to the 2025/26 season has brought to mind fears that he is past his prime and is part of the problem that Slott is grappling with, with Liverpool having lost three games in a row this season and lacking any of the fluency and pace on display for most of last season.

Given that the Egyptian King signed a new two-year contract with Merseyside in April, he and FSG clearly feel this story is far from over, but sporting director Richard Hughes has nonetheless added quality to Liverpool’s attacking ranks, with Alexander Isak.

Why did Liverpool sign Alexander Isak?

For nine years, Liverpool have boasted Salah as their star goalscorer, but the record addition of Isaac from Newcastle United on the transfer deadline day confirms a shift in the boards at Anfield. The balance of offensive power has swung.

Last season, Isak scored 27 goals in all competitions for Newcastle. He scored the crucial second goal in a 2-1 win over Slots Reds at Wembley in March. There he lifted the Carabao Cup.

Several attacking departures this summer have led to FSG deciding to break the bank for a striker who is already established as one of the best players on the field. Isak is now expected to produce the goods over many years to lead a championship-filled class.

Salah is the adopted son of Liverpool. But he is getting older, and if he regains the same amazing form he was in 2024/25, it will certainly be a short-lived affair when viewed against the potential of some of his Liverpool team-mates.

Like Isaac. The Sweden international is 26 years old and has fully settled into his Premier League career. Indeed, he has been described by pundit Allie McCoist as England’s “best all-round striker”.

However, it is not good. Alternatively, Liverpool may find someone else in their ranks to look like a natural replacement for the £400,000-a-week star, albeit not quite out of place.

The signature slot is Salah type

When Salah first arrived at Liverpool, he arrived under a microscope. Scroll through the archives and you’ll find plenty of criticism when Jurgen Klopp oversaw the £34m purchase of Roma winger Salah, formerly of Chelsea, as he failed to impress.

But nine years later, he is a Liverpool legend, having won more than his share of trophies and scoring more than his share of goals.

With Salah’s spell now over, Hugo Ekitike could become the new version of the talisman, with some interesting similarities between the two.

After joining the club from Eintracht Frankfurt this summer for an initial fee of £69m, Liverpool felt they had signed one of the best young strikers in the business. In fact, talent scout Jacek Kulig said of the Frenchman during his days with Eintracht Frankfurt: “He can definitely reach the levels of a world-class striker.”

But this is a big deal for a 23-year-old who has previously struggled at a top club. Prior to his move to Germany, Ekitiki traded Reims back home to Paris Saint-Germain, arriving in July 2022 for a fee of €35m (around £30.5m).

But, as Liverpool correspondent David Lynch described it as a “goal machine”, Liverpool have got a more complete and prepared version.

Four goals is all he scored in the French capital after playing 33 matches. This is somewhat similar to Salah’s return to Chelsea, where he scored two goals and three assists for the Blues before being sold to Roma.

Liverpool’s scouting team has long known their stuff, however, and Ikitiki’s underlying data is something to behold. In fact, looking at his performances over the past year, it’s difficult to distinguish between newcomer and stalwart Isaac, which is a towering testament to his quality.

There’s not much to separate the two. Isak is the more accurate and effective goalscorer, but Ikitike is more complete and aggressive when he is on the ball, and better with his head as well.

These are a rare breed of attacking line-up, and Liverpool now have strikers with the quality needed to take over the reins from Salah for the next two years and lead Slott’s side to further glory. Isak is the product of several years of successful development in the Premier League, but Ekitiki knows what it means to fall by the wayside at one of the continent’s biggest hitters, and he shares that with Salah.

With five goals and one assist in his first ten appearances as a Liverpool striker, Ekitiki started life as a Reds on a strong foundation. Salah has done so too, breaking the goalscoring record in 38 Premier League appearances when he first returned to English shores.

Whether Ikitiki will achieve the same degree of success is certainly debatable, but the fact remains that Liverpool have achieved some exceptional work this summer, and while FSG must move towards identifying a successor on the right wing in the coming windows, Salah’s proverbial heir has been identified and welcomed in the form of Ikitiki.

It is set up.