Dean Saunders has warned Liverpool against heading into the new campaign without a plan B for their striking options, despite Alexander Isak's return to form. The former Reds striker, who partnered Ian Rush up front in the 1991/92 season, believes the club could turn to academy graduate Lewis Koumas to support the Swede.
Isak's injury record a concern
Isak, Liverpool's £125m record signing, made 22 appearances in all competitions in his debut season, missing pre-season to force his way out of Newcastle United and then breaking his leg while scoring against Tottenham Hotspur. Over his previous two seasons at Newcastle, he missed 17 games, and according to Transfermarkt, he missed 30 for Liverpool last season through injury or fitness.
Saunders told LiveFootballTickets: "Isak is going to be a huge factor for Liverpool next season, he needs to have a big year and stay injury-free. Everybody thought when Liverpool signed him last season that was the title over. Before a ball was kicked, everyone thought Liverpool were almost guaranteed to retain the league and look what happened. It went so badly for both him and Liverpool that it makes me think surely it can't happen again. However, his injury record is terrible, and when you spend £125m on a striker you want them on the pitch as much as possible, scoring goals and leading the team."
Saunders tips Lewis Koumas
Koumas scored the fourth goal in a 4-2 win over Sunderland in Andoni Iraola's first pre-season friendly on Saturday (July 25), and enjoyed a strong second half of last season on loan at Hull City as he helped the Tigers win promotion to the Premier League through the play-offs.
Saunders said: "We've certainly seen it before at Liverpool, haven't we, so I'm not sure I could rule out Lewis Koumas coming into the side and making an impression. Liverpool's history has been built on homegrown young strikers like Michael Owen and Robbie Fowler. Liverpool will give anyone a chance who has played through the ranks and started banging goals in. I really hope he gets the chance to play, but if he does, he needs to be aware that he must perform from the beginning. Liverpool will have hundreds of millions of pounds of talent on the bench if he gets a few starts, and he needs to prove quickly he can keep up with them. Craig Bellamy has had him in the Wales team and said his best position is playing up front, so I think Liverpool must see that too. Lewis needs to watch all of Liverpool's most talented players in training and emulate what they are doing every day, and he might get a look in."
Potential transfer targets
Liverpool have been most heavily linked with Bradley Barcola in terms of attacking signings this summer. The 23-year-old winger has played centrally for PSG but is not a natural striker. Saunders added: "Given his injury record, I think signing another striker would be a sensible option for Liverpool before the end of the window."
