Alexander Isak has admitted that “not everyone has the full picture” of his record-breaking transfer from Newcastle United to Liverpool, after making his first appearance of the season for Sweden.
The 25-year-old striker came off the bench in the second half of Sweden’s 2-0 World Cup qualifying defeat to Kosovo in Pristina on 8 September.
Isak completed a £125m move to Liverpool on deadline day, setting a new British transfer record after a long and contentious summer saga. The forward had refused to feature in Newcastle’s pre-season friendlies and also sat out the start of the Premier League campaign.
Speaking to Swedish media after the match, Isak said:
“Not everyone has the full picture, but that’s something for another day. I can’t control everything that’s said or written. But I’m happy that I became a Liverpool player.”
He added that the timing of the deal had been a relief:
“It’s great that everything was settled before the camp and that I could focus on playing football again. It’s been a fairly new situation for me, but you always learn and develop mentally off the pitch as well.”
Isak replaced Newcastle winger Anthony Elanga in the 72nd minute, with Sweden already trailing 2-0. He managed three shots, two of them on target, and was booked after a clash with Kosovo defender Fidan Aliti.
The forward had been an unused substitute in Sweden’s 2-2 draw against Slovenia three days earlier, with manager Jon Dahl Tomasson explaining: “He had only done three training sessions with the team.”
Kosovo sealed their first victory of the campaign thanks to goals from Elvis Rexhbecaj and Vedat Muriqi, while Lindon Emerllahu was sent off in stoppage time after collecting a second yellow card.
The result lifted Kosovo to second in Group B behind leaders Switzerland, with Sweden sitting third.
