Alexander Isak to Liverpool: Three ways Arne Slot could line up with Swedish striker including bold tactical tweak

Liverpool are reportedly on the verge of breaking the British transfer record on deadline day, having agreed a £125m fixed-fee deal to sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle United, bringing an end to one of the most drawn out transfer sagas in recent memory.

The signing is sure to excite Liverpool fans, with the Reds now boasting both of last season's top two Premier League scorers - Mohamed Salah (29) and Isak (23) - but questions remain over how all of the attacking talent will fit into the team this campaign.

Arne Slot's side have already spent a considerable amount of money on Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz during the summer transfer window, while Salah and Cody Gakpo are both extremely talented forward players who featured heavily in Liverpool's 2024-25 Premier League title triumph.

With speculation continuing to grow over how Slot will deploy all of his attacking stars, here, Sports Mole takes a look at three ways Liverpool could line up this season.

4-2-3-1: Gakpo on the left, Isak leading the line

Certainly the easiest way for Slot to introduce Isak into the team would be to plug-and-play the Swede into his favoured 4-2-3-1, which helped Liverpool win the league last season and has already delivered three wins from three at the beginning of the new Premier League campaign.

Isak would comfortably slot into the striker position in this formation, with the ability to stretch defences, hold the ball up, combine with other forward players and finish chances created from either flank - all attributes he has displayed in recent seasons and that helped justify Liverpool's record fee.

Gakpo and Salah would then be able to continue in their positions from the wings, and given the wingers have already contributed to five Premier League goals between them at the start of the new Premier League season, Slot will surely be keen to keep both in his starting team.

Behind the front three, Wirtz would be able to pick up the spaces between the opposition midfield and defensive lines, offering the creativity and attacking flair that have seen him register 67 goals and assists in the last two seasons for Bayer Leverkusen.

Further back, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai could take up the two deeper midfield roles, while Marc Guehi - who appears to be on the brink of a move to the Reds - could partner Virgil van Dijk in central defence.

However, this formation and system means new signing Ekitike will be left on the bench, and with the Frenchman scoring three goals and getting one assist in his first four Liverpool appearances, Slot may want to involve the former Eintracht Frankfurt man in his starting side.

4-2-3-1: Ekitike on the left, Isak leading the line

One way to get both Ekitike and Isak into the starting team would be to replace Gakpo with the Frenchman in the aforementioned 4-2-3-1, with Wirtz and Salah retaining their place in the remaining two attacking positions.

While Ekitike is far from a natural left winger, having played just nine games from that side in his career, the Frenchman does often drift onto the flank when starting as the centre forward, and he has already shown his desire to track back and challenge for the ball when opponents are breaking forward.

This could also create a new dynamic with Isak, as the Swede has also occasionally featured from the left wing throughout his career and often drifts into that area before cutting inside to shoot or pass, meaning the two could switch positions throughout a 90 minute match and keep opposition defences guessing.

With two players that are able to drift and swap positions from the left side, this could mean opposition defenders place a stronger focus on marking that side of the pitch, meaning Salah could have increased space to work his magic from the right wing.

4-2-2-2: Wirtz, Isak, Ekitike and Salah across the front four

The era of two-striker formations seemed to have mostly passed, with recent seasons seeing teams opt to pack midfields with added bodies and deploy a lone striker as the focal point, but Slot could look to revive the traditional strike partnership this campaign.

Ekitike's best individual season came in 2024-25 for Eintracht Frankfurt - scoring 22 goals and assisting 12 as he earned his move to the Reds - with the striker wonderfully partnering Omar Marmoush before the Egyptian's move to Manchester City in January.

The two strikers struck up a delightful partnership, with one dropping deeper to pick up the ball while the other stretched the opposition defensive line with a darting run toward goal, helping create space for both players and giving teams plenty of tactical headaches.

Isak could certainly combine with Ekitike in a similar way, with both boasting the technical brilliance to drop deep and get on the ball, as well as a swift turn of pace that would allow them to race in behind opposition defenders and through on goal.

Alongside the strike partnership, Salah would expect to keep his place on the right wing, while either Wirtz or Gakpo could feature from the left side.

Wirtz may not be a natural winger, but the German international has played in these areas throughout his career, and as both Ekitike and Isak often drift wide, this could make space for the tricky technician to wander into more central areas and cause creative chaos.

The only issue with this tactical tweak may be in the defensive solidity of the midfield, as this would leave just two defensive midfielders to build the foundation in the middle of the park - potentially leaving the team vulnerable to counter attacks.

Currently, Slot prefers to defend with his attacking midfielder dropping in to form a midfield three out of possession, meaning this may be a change in system that would take a lot of work to get right when defending.

3-5-2: Future ideas?

Certainly the most rogue of the potential tactical tweaks, there could be room for Slot to move into a back three either this season or in the future.

Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez have both been brought to the club as new full-backs during the summer window, but with the duo more comfortable going forward than defending, Slot may want to deploy these two in more advanced positions.

As Guehi looks likely to join the club, while 18-year-old Giovanni Leoni has already been signed, Liverpool have the quality and depth in the centre-back department to play three central defenders, with Guehi, Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate the most likely to start.

This would also give Slot the ability to play Mac Allister, Gravenberch and Wirtz in a midfield three, giving the German further license to roam in forward areas while also providing the defensive stability as he can drop into the midfield three when out of possession.

Finally, this would give Ekitike and Isak the chance to play in a two-striker formation, with both able to make runs in behind opposition defences and also boasting the height to get on the end of crosses from the dynamic wing-backs, Frimpong and Kerkez.

Any switch to this formation is unlikely this season, as Salah would have to drop out of the side, but with the Egyptian now 33-years-old and surely nearing the twilight of his Anfield career, there could be the possibility of a 3-5-2 in the future for Liverpool.