The Dutch manager departed Anfield last weekend after a difficult second season in charge of the Reds, taking Liverpool from Premier League champions to barely securing Champions League qualification.
Arne Slot had guided the team to a top-flight title in his first season at the helm, and entered the 2025/26 campaign with the backing of major summer investment from the club.
Liverpool spent over £300 million on high-profile attacking recruits Hugo Ekitike, Alexander Isak, and Florian Wirtz. However, all three struggled to find consistency in their debut seasons, with one of them now admitting to feeling “disconnected” from the club while on international duty.
Isak, who arrived from Newcastle United in a record £125 million transfer last summer, opened up about his emotions following Slot’s sacking.
Currently away with the Sweden national team, the striker — who scored a stunning goal in his country’s 3-1 friendly defeat to Norway — revealed that he feels somewhat distant from Liverpool at present.
“I’ve kind of disconnected from Liverpool now that I’m here [with Sweden]. It’s always sad when a coach has to leave,” the record-breaking forward said.
Isak, who netted Sweden’s only goal with an impressive solo run and curling finish from a tight angle, also suggested that Slot’s departure did not come as a surprise to him.
“[The manager is] usually the first position to change when things go badly,” he noted, reflecting on a debut campaign plagued by injuries that saw his goal tally drop sharply from 27 in 2024/25 to just four this season.
The Swedish international added, “As I said, I don’t know much about what has happened or what will happen. I wish him all the best.”
Isak, who is expected to play a key role under probable incoming manager Andoni Iraola, suffered a broken leg in December during a Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur.
The match, which Liverpool won 2-1, saw Isak sustain the injury immediately after scoring his side’s opening goal, ruling him out until early April.
Under Slot, Isak’s attacking output diminished significantly, with his shots per game dropping from 2.9 at Newcastle in 2024/25 to just 1.2 in his first campaign at Liverpool.
Following the departure of club icon Mohamed Salah, the Reds are likely to depend heavily on their Swedish striker in the 2026/27 season to fill the attacking void. Whether Isak can reclaim his prolific form remains to be seen.
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