Liverpool have made a stunning start to their Premier League title defence, winning all three opening matches against Bournemouth, Newcastle, and Arsenal. The Reds invested heavily in the summer transfer window, spending £450 million on new signings including Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, Hugo Ekitike, Giovanni Leoni, and Alexander Isak. However, a deadline-day £35 million deal for Marc Guehi fell through.
The arrival of Alexander Isak from Newcastle dominated the summer transfer window. Newcastle defender Dan Burn expressed relief that the saga is over. 'I'm glad it's done,' Burn told reporters while on England duty. 'We wanted the transfer window to shut just to get a bit of clarity on it. I have been in football long enough to understand that for a player, careers are short. For me, it is a tough situation because Alex is a mate, so you want him to be around helping the team, but I have nothing but good wishes for Alex.'
Anthony Elanga, who joined Newcastle from Nottingham Forest for £55 million, also commented on Isak's departure. 'Isak is a Liverpool player right now. I have the chance to play with him in the national team. He had a good career at Newcastle, but right now he is a Liverpool player. Good luck to him,' he told Fotbollskanalen.
Newcastle had also attempted to sign Giovanni Leoni before Liverpool secured him for £26 million. Parma chief executive Federico Cherubini revealed: 'We even turned down an offer from Newcastle, which was more advantageous than the one Liverpool eventually made. When the Reds came forward, our plans changed: both because the offer was very attractive and because the player made it clear he was very happy to take advantage of this opportunity.'
Looking ahead, Liverpool are already planning for life after Mohamed Salah, who signed a new contract earlier this year. The club have identified Bayern Munich's Michael Olise as their prime target to replace the 33-year-old. Olise left Crystal Palace for Bayern last summer for £45 million, and Liverpool hope their strong relationship with the German club may help lure him back to the Premier League. A potential move could happen in the summer of 2026.
