The £125 Million Statement
On transfer deadline day, 1 September 2025, Liverpool did something no British club had ever done: they signed the most expensive footballer in the history of English football. Alexander Isak arrived from Newcastle for £125 million, with add-ons that could push the total to £130 million, on a six-year contract - and a nation of defenders wondered how you stop a striker who cost that much.
At Newcastle, Isak had already proven the price tag possible. 62 goals in 109 appearances, the face of the club's modern rebuild, and the match-winner in the 2025 Carabao Cup final - against Liverpool, of all teams. His exit was messy: a public statement accusing the club of broken promises, a pre-season missed, a saga that swallowed the summer. By the time he pulled on the red shirt, the pressure weighed more than the fee itself.
A Season That Nearly Broke Him
The dream start never came. Across the whole 2025-26 campaign Isak managed just four goals in 22 appearances - three of them in the Premier League - as the weight of the record fee and a disjointed team took its toll. Then, on 20 December at Tottenham, the season broke in the most literal sense: brought off the bench, he scored, and moments later was caught by Micky van de Ven's tackle, fracturing his left fibula. Surgery followed on 22 December. The £125 million man did not play again until April, when he returned to the starting line-up and scored against Crystal Palace - a glimpse of the striker Liverpool had paid for, arriving far too late.
Months of rehab at Kirkby - the comeback started long before the first goal
The team sank with him. Liverpool finished fifth on 60 points, 25 behind champions Arsenal, and Arne Slot was sacked at the end of May. The record signing's first Anfield season was, by any honest measure, a disaster. It also happened to be the perfect setup for a redemption story.
Iraola, adidas and a Fresh Start
In June, Liverpool hit reset. Andoni Iraola - the Basque pressing coach who rebuilt Bournemouth into one of Europe's most watchable teams - arrived on a two-year deal with a mandate to press high, play forward and rebuild the club's identity. And in the same summer, the kit changed with the manager: adidas returned as Liverpool's supplier for the first time since 2011-12, on a five-year deal worth around £60 million a year.
Champions League nights return to Anfield - and the No.9 wears the deepest red in years
The 2026-27 home shirt, released in May, is the tribute Isak now wears: a deep red geometric pattern honouring the 1989-90 title-winning side, with '97' woven into the collar and white trim on the sleeves. For the No.9, the new era began with a reminder of the old one: back at St James' Park on 23 August he was booed for 90 minutes, produced a quiet night, and watched Szoboszlai's 99th-minute penalty rescue a 2-2 draw. Two games in, the goals have not come yet - but the Champions League is back at Anfield, the adidas shirt is the most iconic in a generation, and Sweden's World Cup form (one goal, three assists in four games) says the confidence never left.
Shop Alexander Isak Jerseys
From the record-fee home shirt to the Champions League edition and the 25-26 classic, here is every ISAK 9 jersey in stock:
10602.jpg?w=600&h=600)
7611.jpg?w=600&h=600)
-(Isak-9)13940.jpg?w=600&h=600)
14040.jpg?w=600&h=600)
10695.jpg?w=600&h=600)
2724.jpg?w=650&h=650)
-(Isak-9)1827.jpg?w=600&h=600)
Wear the No.9
Isak jerseys from €31.80. The 2026-27 adidas home shirt in every cut, the Champions League edition and the 25-26 classic - all printed with ISAK 9.
Shop All Isak Jerseys