Alexander Isak breaks silence after £125m Liverpool move, vows to tell his side of summer saga

Alexander Isak said he will tell his side of the story over the summer transfer saga after making his first public comments since completing a British-record £125 million move from Newcastle United to Liverpool.

Isak, 25, who missed club action after refusing to train or play for Newcastle during efforts to force the transfer, said he was "happy that I became a Liverpool player" and that not everyone had the full picture of events. "That's something for another day," he told Swedish media after Sweden's shock 2-0 World Cup qualifying defeat to Kosovo on Monday.

Isak was an unused substitute in Sweden's 2-2 draw with Slovenia on Friday and came off the bench in the 72nd minute against Kosovo as his country trailed by two goals. He was booked late in the Kosovo match and struggled to influence the game as Sweden suffered a setback in Group F of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.

"It took 20 minutes and it felt okay," Isak said of his appearance, adding that he could not control everything that was said or written about the transfer. He also rejected suggestions that Liverpool limited his international minutes, saying: "I'm with the national team now. Clubs and national teams have contact but it's between them in such cases."

Sweden manager Jon Dahl Tomasson had previously expressed concern about Isak's fitness after limited training with the national side. Tomasson said Isak trained only three times with Sweden and that he had given him "the maximum amount of minutes I could" in the Kosovo match.

Isak's move to Liverpool was completed on the final day of the transfer window after weeks of speculation. The transfer dominated the summer as the Sweden international sought to force a switch to Anfield; he last played for Newcastle on May 25 before the dispute over his club availability, then left immediately for international duty following the agreement with Liverpool.

Liverpool paid a fee reported at £125 million, a British transfer record, for a player who had scored prolifically in the Premier League and for club and country. Isak said the move was a "fairly new situation" for him and that he had learned and developed "mentally off the pitch as well."

Monday's defeat leaves Sweden third in their four-team qualifying group, five points behind leaders Switzerland, who won their opening two matches. Only the group winner will qualify automatically for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Isak is due to link up with his new Liverpool teammates ahead of the Reds' Premier League fixture against Burnley on Sunday. He indicated he would address the full details of the summer's events at a later date, saying he would tell his side of the story in due course.

Sweden now face a tougher path in the group after consecutive matches failed to yield victory, and Tomasson will need to reassess selection and fitness options ahead of their remaining fixtures. Isak's arrival at Liverpool is set to shift attention back to club matters, where the club and player will determine his integration into Liverpool's squad in the coming days and weeks.