Jurgen Klopp made very few missteps during his tenure as Liverpool manager. The German tactician was astute in the transfer market and consistently had his team performing at an elite level. His nearly nine-year spell at Anfield is widely regarded as a massive success.

That said, one possible misjudgment could end up haunting the club—the decision not to sign Alexander Isak. The Newcastle United striker is reportedly viewed as Liverpool’s ideal target this summer, but securing his signature would be far from straightforward. Isak’s emergence as one of the top forwards in world football means the Magpies would demand a hefty fee, with suggestions the figure could exceed £100 million.

In an alternate scenario, Isak might already have been leading the line at Anfield. Back in 2022, while still at Real Sociedad, Liverpool were reportedly keen on signing him, according to Sky Sports. The club’s recruitment team was eager to bring him in.

Early in Klopp’s Liverpool reign, the club excelled at identifying and acquiring top talent before they reached superstardom—cases in point being Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, and Virgil van Dijk. But despite the scouting team’s interest in Isak, Klopp opted for a different direction.

Both Klopp and then-assistant Pep Lijnders pushed for Darwin Nunez from Benfica instead. There were internal doubts about whether the Uruguayan would suit the team, and Klopp was even warned against the move. Nevertheless, those warnings went unheeded, and Liverpool went ahead with the transfer.

So far, Nunez hasn’t quite lived up to expectations, netting just 40 goals across three seasons. In contrast, Isak has thrived at Newcastle, scoring 22 more goals despite playing 40 fewer matches.

Liverpool stormed to the 2024–25 Premier League title with minimal contribution from either Nunez or Diogo Jota. Had Isak been leading the attack, it’s tempting to imagine just how much more dominant the team could have been.