Injuries have been unkind to Liverpool this season, but the news that Alexander Isak will return to match action for the business end of the season is an incredible boost for a club whose season hangs in the balance.
Last year, FSG green-lit a sweeping summer of transfer change. A single-window outlay to the tune of £450m surpassed anything seen in football before, albeit with plenty of sales banked too.
But the new recruits proved anything but coherent across the first few months of the season, Hugo Ekitike notwithstanding. It is the fact that Liverpool signed Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt for £79m that Isak’s December leg break has not been detrimental, but the Sweden international is a cut above the rest.
We haven’t seen the best of the 26-year-old yet, but the Anfield side have secured one of the best players in the world, and they’re already looking to repeat the trick.
Liverpool prepare raid for their next Isak
Liverpool’s summer spending has left something to be desired, but the pieces are there for long-term success, and there’s certainly no need for sporting director Richard Hughes to invest in another striker.
However, the Reds are missing something in central midfield, and with Alexis Mac Allister struggling for form and Curtis Jones mooted with an exit, Liverpool could do with some more quality.
Arne Slot and his side have been through it this season, but there are signs the head coach has dragged Liverpool away from the eye of the storm, and the addition of an elite midfielder this summer could pay dividends ahead of the coming years.
According to TEAMtalk, Liverpool have joined Aston Villa in the race for Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Lucas Bergvall, with the 19-year-old the subject of winter interest from Aston Villa and Chelsea.
The Athletic’s David Ornstein confirmed that enquiries were lodged from both outfits, but despite Thomas Frank fielding the 20-year-old infrequently this term, before his dismissal, this opens the door for a summer scramble.
Liverpool’s curiosity hasn’t yet been concentrated, but there’s no question that Bergvall has stood out throughout a tricky period for Spurs, and he might just be Sweden’s most exciting up-and-coming talent.
Previous figures of around £53m have been suggested, but in truth, Tottenham are going to want more.
Why Liverpool want Lucas Bergvall
Bergvall is young, but he’s already chalked up 71 appearances for Tottenham, posting two goals and eight assists. Last year, he played 12 times in the Europa League en route to glory.
Tottenham beat Barcelona for the Sweden international’s signature in February 2024, the then Djurgarden player moving at the end of the season for an initial £8.5m fee.
What a bargain. In that, Bergvall is not the same as Isak, who moved to Newcastle from Real Sociedad for £63m, the Magpies’ record fee at the time.
Bergvall would be worth paying a hefty fee for, though, with Tottenham’s head of scouting, Robert Mackenzie, describing him as a “genuine generational talent“.
Said by journalist JJ Bull to have a “first touch like [Luka] Modric“, Bergvall is a central midfielder with combative qualities while also boasting a wide range of passing qualities and a technical command that many of his senior Premier League rivals could only dream of.
Bergvall isn’t just comparable with Isak through his ethnicity, though. Isak has established himself as one of the best in the world, settling in the Premier League in 2022 before earning a record-breaking move to Liverpool. In that period, only Erling Haaland has scored at a more clinical rate.
|
PL – Top Scorers Since 22/23 |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Apps |
Goals (per 90) |
|
Erling Haaland |
123 |
107 |
|
Mohamed Salah |
126 |
70 |
|
Ollie Watkins |
137 |
58 |
|
Alexander Isak |
96 |
56 |
|
Bryan Mbeumo |
122 |
47 |
|
Data via Transfermarkt |
||
Bergvall could follow suit. He’s stood out in the time he’s been with Tottenham, but the perpetual problems in north London are stifling the club’s most talented players. Bergvall, however, would leave with silverware, as Isak did last year.
Just how good could this young midfielder become? It remains to be seen, but he’s got the potential to emulate his countryman Isak and develop into one of Europe’s finest.
He’s ready to take the next step, and Liverpool would only be too happy to oblige.
Reds flop looks like he’ll never start for Liverpool again after Brighton
This Liverpool flop has exposed himself as the club’s new version of Divock Origi after a number of poor performances.