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Liverpool squad left ‘drained’ over Alexander Isak in message to Newcastle

Alexis Mac Allister revealed that he and his Liverpool teammates felt worn out by the drawn-out transfer chase involving Alexander Isak before the striker’s blockbuster switch. The Swedish attacker became the centre of a summer standoff with Newcastle, having made clear his desire to join the Premier League holders.

Yet it wasn’t until deadline day that the deal was completed, as Liverpool and their league rivals eventually shook hands on a record £125million agreement. Isak was forced to train away from the Magpies’ senior group during pre-season, meaning he arrived at Anfield short on sharpness.

His first outing came in Wednesday’s dramatic 3-2 success against Atletico Madrid. The 25-year-old featured for just under an hour in the electrifying Champions League encounter with the La Liga giants, making way with the Reds ahead 2-1 before Virgil van Dijk’s late goal sealed victory.

Arne Slot’s men have been grabbing attention after depending on late strikes to clinch wins in the early stages of their title defence campaign.

Isak’s capture formed part of a major summer spend on Merseyside, countered by a string of exits that included Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Harvey Elliott, Ben Doak, Tyler Morton, Jarell Quansah and Caoimhin Kelleher, according to the Express.

Despite questions around the huge financial outlay at Anfield, Mac Allister stressed his delight at seeing Isak arrive and expressed belief he will thrive in a Liverpool shirt.

“At first, it was a big matter and later on we grew a bit exhausted because it dragged too much,” Mac Allister told TNT Sports, joking about the long transfer saga.

“But everybody recognises his quality. He’ll be extremely important and we’re glad he is finally with us.”

The Argentine also admitted he sees why Newcastle might have felt disappointed with how the saga ended, saying: “Possibly the other club are upset but that’s football, they received a massive fee so I’d say it’s positive for both.

“It’s good for him as this is what he wanted, and we’re delighted to have him because we already know how strong he is and we’ve struggled against him a few times as well.”

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