AI predicts how many goals Alexander Isak will score for Liverpool this season - the results are surprising

Liverpool broke the British transfer record on deadline day of the 2025 summer transfer window, completing the signing of Alexander Isak from Newcastle United for a staggering £125m fee, finally bringing an end to one of the longest transfer sagas in recent memory.

The Swedish striker, who signed a six-year contract at Anfield and brought the club's summer spending to £446m, arrived with a reputation as one of the Premier League's most prolific forwards, having enjoyed a superb spell at St James' Park since his arrival in August 2022.

As a result, expectations from fans, pundits and the overall footballing world are exceptionally high, with everybody eager to see whether Isak will seamlessly integrate into Arne Slot's system, maintain his superb goalscoring ability and lead the Reds to defend their Premier League title and challenge across several other fronts.

With that in mind, Sports Mole asked AI to predict how many goals Liverpool's big-money summer signing will score in the 2025-26 season, and in this article, we take a look at the surprising prediction.

Current context

Isak arrives at Liverpool on the back of the best season of his career, having scored 27 goals in 42 appearances across all competitions for Newcastle United in 2024-25, including a fantastic 23 goals in 34 Premier League outings.

The striker's overall record after joining the Magpies in August 2022 is equally impressive, as Isak managed a sensational 54 goals in 86 Premier League appearances, as well as 62 goals in 109 games in all competitions for Eddie Howe's side.

During his time at Newcastle, Isak most frequently operated as the sole central attacking figure, tasked with converting chances provided by the flanking wingers and midfield players, and this system certainly helped the striker thrive and become one of the best strikers in world football.

Given his remarkable goalscoring output since arriving on English soil in August 2022, it is clear to see why Liverpool invested such a significant sum on the forward, as well as why many football fans are predicting Isak to improve upon his goalscoring tally once again this term.

All of this information was provided to the AI prior to the prediction, giving as much contextual information as possible to help generate a realistic estimate for his debut season at Anfield.

AI's prediction

Despite all of the context and facts pointing to Isak enjoying another stellar season, AI predicted the Swedish striker will record a less prolific campaign, surprisingly estimating that the new number 14 will score 18 goals for Liverpool in all competitions.

The AI provided a number of reasons for the striker's goal tally decreasing from 25 and 27 in the last two seasons to just 18 in 2025-26 for Liverpool, ranging from his historical goal-scoring rate and potential playing time to injuries and adapting to a new team's system.

Firstly, the AI considered that the striker may play fewer minutes than he did at Newcastle due to the club's impressive squad depth, while Isak is also joining three games into the new season and having gone without a pre-season for either the Magpies or the Reds.

Unlike at Newcastle, where Isak was the undisputed focal point and was relied upon to score a majority of their goals, Liverpool boast a wealth of attacking talent, including superstar Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo and fellow new arrival Hugo Ekitike, all of whom have had fantastic starts to the new campaign.

This squad depth means Slot is likely to heavily rotate throughout the season, meaning Isak's minutes may be more limited, therefore reducing the projected goal total based on expected minutes played.

Furthermore, Isak is no longer set to be the primary goal threat, with Liverpool already demonstrating their attacking ability across all areas of the pitch, as their goals at this early stage of the season have been spread across their front line and other areas of the pitch, while both wingers are also more goal-focused than their Newcastle equivalents.

The AI also factored in Isak's adaptation to Liverpool, noting that the striker may have to build match sharpness after missing the early matches of the season and failing to have pre-season, while an adjustment period to the club's system may also lead to a limited goal return.

Finally, the AI noted Isak's extensive injury record, as the striker has missed a massive 39 games since joining Newcastle United in August 2022, while there have also been numerous recurring issues throughout his career, including thigh, groin and hamstring injuries.

As a result of all of these factors, the AI produced a prediction that Isak will score just 18 goals across all competitions for Liverpool this season - though it did suggest that this was a cautious estimate.