Liverpool give Andoni Iraola the £125m star to build his team around

Mohamed Salah’s departure from the club has left the door open for Liverpool to go and sign another elite right winger. But replacing the goals and assists isn’t that simple.

However, the Reds may already possess the player capable of becoming the team’s new focal point.

Alexander Isak has shown he can produce top levels of goalscoring in England, netting 54 times in 86 appearances during his spell at Newcastle United.

Replacing Salah isn’t realistic

There are very few players in the world capable of consistently delivering the numbers that Salah has provided over the last eight seasons.

In this current market Liverpool could be made to pay upwards of £100m for an attacker who may fall well short of the Egyptian’s output.

Trying to replace him directly might be the wrong approach altogether, and Andoni Iraola can look to build his attack around the Swedish striker with creative wide players who excel at chance creation.

Since joining the club, Isak has only made 14 Premier League appearances due to his injury and fitness issues. This almost makes him a new signing going into next season.

The World Cup proved his sharpness is improving, with four goal involvements for Graham Potter’s side.

Possible targets

After Yan Diomande chose Paris Saint-Germain over the Reds, the opportunity to sign Bradley Barcola has seemingly arisen due to uncertainty surrounding his future.

The Frenchman is an exceptional dribbler with top pace, who thrives in one-on-one situations, regularly beating defenders before delivering dangerous balls into the penalty box that could prove valuable for Isak.

We have seen him display these skills in North America this summer with two goals and one assist in just 282 minutes played.

Yankubeh Minteh is also a target with a £70 – £80m bid incoming according to TEAMtalk. His explosive and direct style of play will fit well into an Iraola side.

The 21-year-old has already proved he has qualities that could compliment Liverpool’s number nine, with 16 big chances created in his Premier League career so far.

One player already at the club is Florian Wirtz and his ability to play smart passes into the channel is exactly what the Swedish striker needs.

We briefly saw evidence of this last season at Tottenham Hotspurs away, and this resulted in a top class goal but also a leg break which quickly saw the end of this duo.

This creative talent could be the focus for next season to get the most out of Isak and could prove more effective than trying to replace Salah’s numbers from the right.