LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 19: Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield on October 19, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
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Andoni Iraola has a lot to consider before the start of the 2026/27 season. Now Liverpool manager following his appointment by the Anfield club, Iraola has been trusted with imposing a new identity on a team that lost one over the course of the 2025/26 campaign under Arne Slot. He will face a number of challenges.
Liverpool’s squad is talented, but it’s unbalanced. While the Merseyside outfit spent over $250m signing a number of elite-level players last summer, not many of them fit into Slot’s team. This is where Iraola must offer something different. The Spaniard needs to think about the overall set-up of his team.
First and foremost, he must envisage how Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak could play together in the attacking third. Both strikers joined Liverpool last summer, but experienced contrasting fortunes in their first season there. While Ekitike flourished, Isak struggled for any sort of form and fitness.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – JUNE 04: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Andoni Iraola new manager of Liverpool Football Club at Anfield on June 04, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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That Liverpool spent so much money on two forwards who play the position in a similar way in the same transfer window was confusing from the start. The Reds needed a new number nine, but Ekitike and Isak appeared incompatible as a pairing in Slot’s 4-2-3-1 system. There was never any sign of a partnership,
It’s possible Iraola could deploy Ekitike on the left wing with Isak through the middle as a centre forward. Alternatively, Liverpool could use them as a front two, although this would require the width to come from wing backs. It would also put some pressure on the midfield to protect the backline against the ball.
And yet the upside of using Ekitike and Isak as a strike partnership could be huge for Liverpool. On their day, both forwards are among the most dangerous in the Premier League and so this could supercharge the Liverpool attack now that Mohamed Salah has departed the club.
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND – AUGUST 25: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Hugo Ekitike of Liverpool celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Liverpool at St James’ Park on August 25, 2025 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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Iraola has some issues to resolve in the transfer market. Liverpool need at least one new centre back after Ibrahima Konate decided to leave at the end of his contract. Andy Robertson’s exit also means a new left back is required. Many supporters believe Liverpool should be in the market for a central midfielder.
This summer marks the start of something new for Liverpool, but its new manager is charged with making more of the same squad that didn’t work for Slot in his final season at the helm. Ekitike and Isak could hold the key to the former Bournemouth boss being successful on Merseyside.