Arne Slot on Friday described new signing Alexander Isak as “perhaps one of the best striker on the planet” however warned he could be eased into motion step by step after a disrupted pre-season.
The Premier League champions signed the Sweden ahead from Newcastle on switch deadline day for a British-record price of £125 million ($169 million), including additional firepower to their spectacular squad.
Isak’s arrival after a protracted chase was a part of an attention-grabbing splurge of greater than £400 million in the summertime switch window, although a deadline-day transfer to signal Crystal Palace and England defender Marc Guehi collapsed.
“Quite a lot of issues occurred on the final day (of the switch window), which isn’t all the time the scenario, as a result of final season we hardly did something throughout the entire window,” Slot mentioned on Friday.
“However the factor that pleases me most, in fact, is us getting the deal for Alex over the road.”
The Dutchman praised Sweden supervisor Jon Dahl Tomasson for the way in which he dealt with Isak’s workload throughout the worldwide break.
The 25-year-old, who has not performed any membership soccer this season, was on the bench for Sweden’s 2-2 World Cup qualifying draw in opposition to Slovenia and was introduced on as a late substitute within the 2-0 defeat in opposition to Kosovo.
“He will get probably the greatest, perhaps one of the best striker on the planet, and must play two crucial video games for his nation, however understands that if he would play him twice for 90 minutes, then most likely the participant would have been injured,” Slot mentioned.
“And that’s not all the time simple for a supervisor, that he takes care of the curiosity of a participant, so he deserves a giant praise for that. And we are going to deal with Alex the identical as they did, so don’t count on him to be each single sport 90 minutes on the pitch.
“That’s positively not going to occur within the upcoming weeks. He missed a correct pre-season, I feel he missed three or 4 months of staff classes, so now we have now to construct him up step by step, with us taking part in so many video games, hardly any coaching time.”
– Isak criticism –
Slot, talking forward of Sunday’s match in opposition to Burnley, dismissed criticism that Isak acquired after he agitated to depart Newcastle, the place he nonetheless had three extra years to run on his contract.
“Typically folks cheer for you, so I feel after he received the League Cup (trophy final season), everybody was actually proud of him,” he mentioned.
“And in different moments you get criticised — that is a part of his life, my life, our jobs. Now he’s a participant for us and I’m actually proud of that.”
Slot, whose staff have received all three of their Premier League matches up to now this season, admitted he had been eager to signal Guehi however wouldn’t be drawn about any future bid.
“I feel it will be a bit ridiculous if I’m going to disclaim that we have been near signing him,” he mentioned. “That’s so out within the open, that may be ridiculous.
“This stuff occur in soccer, it occurred to our gamers perhaps prior to now as nicely, that they thought they have been so shut on signing some other place, after which within the final second issues modified.”
Slot, who’s eyeing a document twenty first English league title with Liverpool, mentioned he had choices in defence.
“It’s a pity, not just for us but in addition for the participant, I feel,” he mentioned. “However he’s in a superb place taking part in at Palace, the place he received the Neighborhood Defend and the FA Cup, with an excellent supervisor as nicely. So let’s see what the longer term brings for him and for us.”
