Cast your mind back to August 2022, with Liverpool seeing off rivals Manchester City in the campaign curtain-raiser to claim the Community Shield, with club-record signing Darwin Nunez scoring a late clincher to mark his arrival into English football.
The Reds may well have won the battle that day, although it was their opponents who ultimately won the war, with Nunez’s centre-forward foe, Erling Haaland, shaking off that initial disappointment to become a force to be reckoned with in the Premier League.
Since both men arrived at their respective clubs that summer, Haaland has netted 121 goals in just 142 games for the Citizens, 85 of which have come in only 97 top-flight outings.
As those on Merseyside are fully aware, their Uruguayan number nine has barely come close to reaching such heights, having thus far plundered only 40 goals in 143 games in all competitions.
With Haaland in the picture or not, a return of 25 goals in 95 league games simply isn’t up to scratch for Liverpool’s centre-forward, with it no surprise that the 25-year-old looks destined for a summer exit. The only issue is, just who will replace him?
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Arne Slot’s side stormed to the title without the need for an orthodox striker, but whether that is a long-term solution remains to be seen, with a dream target still in the equation in the form of Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak.
There has been tentative talk that a bid is even being readied for the Magpies talisman, albeit with Eddie Howe’s men having claimed Champions League football ahead of next term, prising the Swede from St James’ Park would be more than an uphill task.
With that in mind, other options are still being considered, with GIVEMESPORT reporting that FSG are holding internal talks over whether to move for Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, with Liverpool said to be ‘turning their attention towards recruiting a proven goalscorer’.
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The Nigerian’s name has come up during in-house recruitment meetings, albeit with there said to be an acknowledgement that the 26-year-old is likely to end up back at Galatasaray, having spent 2024/25 on loan in Turkey.
Osimhen’s £400k-per-week wage demands had previously appeared to be a stumbling block too, although the piece outlines that he may consider lowering that figure, having already turned down a lucrative £625k-per-week offer from Saudi side, Al Hilal.
The belief is that the Lille man is keen to stay put in European football, amid rival interest from the likes of Manchester United, ensuring the door has opened slightly for FSG to pounce.
How Osimhen compares to Alexander Isak
Isak is – and rightly so – the figure that most of Europe’s elite clubs would wish to sign if handed the opportunity, having been hailed as the “best striker in the Premier League” by national team boss, Jon Dahl Tomasson.
With 44 league goals across his last two seasons at Newcastle, the ex-Real Sociedad star is a Premier League-proven talent, no doubt about it, having given a raft of top-flight defenders a torrid time of things.
That said, there is an argument to be made that despite having yet to try his hand in English football, Osimhen would actually represent an upgrade on Isak, having also been dubbed the “best striker on the market” by Statman Dave.
Indeed, 2024/25 ended with Osimhen eclipsing his centre-forward counterpart’s goalscoring record, with the in-demand sensation scoring 37 times during his stint in Istanbul, 26 of which came in the Super Lig.
Isak, meanwhile, scored ‘just’ 27 goals in all competitions back on Tyneside, with that including 23 league goals.
Viktor Gyokeres
39
Kylian Mbappe
31
Robert Lewandowski
27
Harry Kane
26
Victor Osimhen
26
Mateo Retegui
25
Alexander Isak
23
Omar Marmoush
22
Erling Haaland
22
Equally too, while both enjoyed a similar record with regard to their creative prowess, having both created 11 ‘big chances’ in league action, it is Osimhen who appears to be the more dominant, physical focal point.
That is evidenced by the fact that he won 55% of his total duels and 60% of his aerial duels, as per Sofascore, while Isak, by comparison, averaged just 33% for both of those metrics in the Premier League.
Stretching back further than 2024/25 too, Osimhen has also been more prolific in front of goal during his senior career thus far, having netted 151 goals in just 264 club career games, across his time in Italy, Turkey, France, Belgium and Germany.
Isak, by comparison, has scored just 134 goals in 301 senior games during his spells in England, Spain, Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands, with that showcasing that it is Osimhen who is the greater clinical threat.
On the Champions League front too, the latter man has netted nine times from 17 games in the competition to date, while Isak has scored only once in six outings in his career thus far.
Yes, the Newcastle star has been a revelation for the Magpies, yet Osimhen has been a goalscoring monster at almost every club he has been, excluding a goalless, 16-game spell at Wolfsburg.
While the major caveat remains whether the Napoli man can repeat those heroics in the Premier League, all the signs point to him being the next centre-forward to rip it up in England’s top tier.
Whisper it quietly, but he might even be better than Isak…
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1 ByAngus Sinclair
