Klopp convinced Liverpool to choose Darwin over Isak

Darwin Nunez and Alexander Isak arrived in the Premier League at the same time.

If it weren’t for Jürgen Klopp, the Swede would probably have landed at Anfield.

– Jürgen preferred Nunez, says Liverpool’s former head of research Ian Graham.

Liverpool spent around 820 million kronor on Darwin Nunez while Newcastle spent around 15 million less on Alexander Isak.

With hindsight, it’s easy to see which team bet on the right horse in the summer of 2022.

The Uruguayan has scored 25 goals in 95 Premier League matches while the Swede, despite injury problems and fewer matches, has scored 54 goals in 86 Premier League appearances.

Influence over the club

According to Ian Graham, former head of research at Liverpool, Jürgen Klopp’s growing influence over the club’s transfer business was crucial in choosing to invest in Nunez instead of Isak.

– Jürgen created a lot of success for the club, so it’s understandable that it went in that direction. In 2022, he signed Darwin Nunez instead of Alexander Isak. If you look at the best young central strikers in Europe, they are number one and two – or two and three, but Haaland was out of our price range. Jürgen preferred Nunez, he tells the Financial Times.

Graham worked at the club between 2012 and 2023, helping to use data analytics to support the transfer strategy.