Arne Slot makes Alexander Isak admission after Mo Salah reveals problem with Hugo Ekitike

Arne Slot admits he still needs to get to know Alexander Isak before saying he has barely spoken to Liverpool ’s new record signing. Slot’s admission mirrors Mohamed Salah ’s earlier comments about needing to build an on-pitch relationship with another new signing in Hugo Ekitike, indicating that the Reds are undergoing a period of transition.

Liverpool splashed around £450million on new players in the summer, including a British transfer record fee of £120m for Isak alone on deadline day. It brought an end to a long transfer saga involving the Swedish striker, who came under fire for the manner in which he pushed for his Newcastle exit.

But despite eventually securing his highly-anticipated move, Isak has barely had time to get to know his Liverpool team-mates and hasn’t yet played for the team, due to the recent international break.

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That resulted in an honest answer from Slot when he was asked about Isak’s character during Friday’s press conference ahead of this weekend’s visit to Burnley, as the Reds look to make it four wins out of four in the Premier League.

The Dutch manager said: “Maybe you won’t believe me but I haven't spoken to him that much. I phoned him after he signed and he had to go to Sweden [for international duty] but 99 percent of the time during breaks, I leave the players to their national team managers.

“I texted him once or twice but I do have to get to know him in the upcoming days and weeks. But we have such a great culture here at this club, so we sign players for their qualities and I know how good he is, what a quality player he is.

"I don't think you can compare any situation with another; different owners, different situations, you cannot compare (Isak and Marc Guehi). I felt all the way we needed another attacking player, so I’m happy we could get the one we wanted."

Of course, Isak was not Slot’s first forward signing of the summer, having bought Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt for £79m just weeks prior. The Frenchman hit the ground running at Anfield, scoring three goals in his initial three competitive games for the Reds.

But talisman Salah echoed Slot’s thoughts by admitting he still needs time to get to know Ekitike and understand his game for things to go smoothly on the pitch. That suggests the new signings are not quite on the same page yet and things may get slightly worse for the reigning Premier League champions before they improve.

Salah said: “So far I haven't figured the connections out yet. Like with Darwin Nunez or Lucho [Luis Diaz], the guys that used to play in front, or Diogo Jota. I knew where to start with Diogo or Darwin. I know where to find them. I knew their game very well but with Hugo, he's still new.

“Sometimes I need the ball in the field. Sometimes we need [it] in space. We will try to figure that out through training sessions and videos. The manager shows us. So I will figure it out soon because it's going to help my game to grow as well.”

Despite Salah’s honest reflection and concerns, Liverpool managed to grind out a 100% record in the league before the international break, making them the only team to do so. In their disappointing opening performance against Bournemouth, they needed two late goals to seal a victory at home.

They also needed a 100th minute winner to rescue all three points against a ten-man Newcastle, having led the game by two goals, before Dominik Szoboszlai’s wonder free-kick late on against Arsenal separated the two title rivals.

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