It’s just over a month into the 2026-27 Premier League season, and there is no better time to see the usual bottom-feeding teams make early noise at the top of the table, while other, more established clubs look on from the outside. In the middle of all this stands Liverpool. The Reds haven’t had the start to the season fans were hoping for under the new manager, Andoni Iraola. Last year’s disaster of a season saw former head coach Arne Slot get the boot after accusations that his coaching style limited much of his best talent. Iraola was brought in to rejuvenate the club and spark talent that underperformed the season prior, including Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak.
Isak signed with Liverpool during the August 2025 transfer window, setting a British record £125 million transfer fee from Newcastle United after an outstanding 2024-25 campaign. The Swede was one of the highest-touted strikers on the planet, and as a member of the Reds, he was expected to take them to new heights. After a decent first half of the season, Isak’s first year with Liverpool ended abruptly after he suffered a broken left ankle and a left fibula fracture in December against Tottenham.
Isak returned from his injury in April 2026, putting together a stretch of poor performances, leading to some major backlash from fans and the media surrounding his contract.
Fast forward to the beginning of the current season and the striker had a lot to prove after such an unfortunate start to his tenure with the team.
The Reds had a mediocre first five games, with a 2-3-0 record that left them sixth in the table, noticeably behind the two frontrunners, Manchester City and Arsenal. Luckily for Liverpool, their £125 million man, Isak, is off to a remarkable start in his second year with the team. In five games, he’s scored four goals and has seven shots on target. While the team has had arguably the lightest schedule in the league thus far, Isak is still doing his job when his number is being called, most recently scoring the game-winning goal against Bournemouth on Sept. 20 on the road. These four goals put him second, behind Erling Haaland, for most so far this season.
The Swedish striker looked marvelous at the start of the season. If he can stay in form over the coming months and into 2027, there’s no doubt Liverpool can find their footing as a team and finish top three in the table.
It hasn’t just been Isak silencing his doubters for the Liverpool attack, as Cody Gakpo continues to make an impression for a club whose fans wanted him gone for much of the last calendar year.
Gakpo’s 2025-26 year was anything but pleasant. He was going through not only a rough stretch on the pitch, but one even worse off of it, after the death of his unborn son this past summer left him and the rest of the football world devastated.
Under Slot, Gakpo played some of his worst football since joining the club in January 2023. Now under Andoni, the Dutch international has more freedom on the wing, flourishing mainly as a playmaker rather than a scorer. In five matches, he has four goal contributions, including one goal and three assists, all of which just so happen to be to Isak.
Gakpo is starting to look like the player Liverpool signed him to be after his incredible breakout at the 2022 World Cup: a versatile winger who can be a dangerous scorer off the left side while also threatening to assist around the box.
Liverpool’s Premier League season resumes on Oct. 11 against Manchester City at Anfield in one of the year’s most anticipated matchups. It may only take a few more great games from Isak and Gakpo for Liverpool to finally put together another solid season under the captaincy of Virgil Van Dijk.