Jamie Carragher tells Liverpool how many transfers they need to ‘come straight into the team’ as £125m striker Alexander Isak fails to convince

Carragher has cast serious doubt on whether Isak will ever truly live up to his billing. The Premier League's record signing has endured a nightmare debut campaign on Merseyside following his £125 million move from Newcastle United. The 26-year-old scored only his fourth goal for the club during Saturday's 3-1 win against Crystal Palace, marking his third start since returning from a leg fracture suffered against Tottenham in December. However, despite the injury mitigation, the pundit remains highly unconvinced that the Sweden international can reverse his fortunes.

The former centre-back was blunt about the lack of tangible return after Liverpool's £446m summer spending spree, drawing on his own historical observations to assess the striker's trajectory. "[The big-spending summer] hasn't worked," Carragher told the Liverpool ECHO. "It might work in the future because I don't think you can judge every signing in the first year. But I've said this before; my experience as a Liverpool player, every player who came to the club, I can't remember one who didn't really do much in his first season, and then was a revelation afterwards. Isak hasn't got going. He obviously got the injury, but he didn't look great to start with."

With Liverpool navigating a transitional phase under Slot, the pressure is mounting for the hierarchy to deliver targeted quality rather than bulk signings. The struggles of established stars and injury problems have left the team vulnerable. Highlighting the specific areas needing attention, Carragher insisted that surgical reinforcements are strictly necessary to compete for major honours again, especially with Mohamed Salah set to depart Anfield at the end of the current season. "In terms of what Liverpool need to do next season, well obviously they need to replace [Mohamed] Salah," he continued. "I think for me, three players need to come straight into the team. You can't go on and buy five players into the team. Liverpool bought a lot of players last summer, so they are not going to buy a load this summer."

Having won the Premier League in Slot's first season, Liverpool will finish his second campaign without any trophies. However, currently sitting fourth in the Premier League, the club have all-but secured Champions League qualification for next term. Looking ahead, the board face a tough challenge identifying elite talent; failure to secure immediate upgrades could severely hamper future title aspirations.