Florian Wirtz has already hinted at Arne Slot Liverpool plan for Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike

Arne Slot will have an attacking selection dilemma on his hands once Alexander Isak is match fit - but fielding a Liverpool front two might not be the answer

It has not been lost on supporters that Newcastle United’s transfer dream became Liverpool’s reality this summer. The Reds dashed the Magpies' hopes of signing Hugo Ekitike in July before belatedly snapping up the wantaway Alexander Isak in a British record £125m deal on transfer deadline day.

Newcastle had insisted they wanted to partner Ekitike with Isak, despite the latter's desire to move on, when making their move for the Eintracht Frankfurt star this summer.

Onlookers scoffed at such a notion, believing any move for the Frenchman would lead to the Swede's exit from St. James’ Park as the Magpies saw a £70m bid rejected by the Bundesliga outfit.

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Meanwhile, Liverpool supporters took great joy in an apparent power play, perceiving the club’s stance to be something along the lines of: ‘Sell us your star striker or we’ll sign your main target instead’.

With Newcastle refusing to sell Isak, the Reds went ahead and moved for Ekitike. An initial £69m deal was agreed with Frankfurt, but it soon became clear that their pursuit of the forward was not an 11th hour steal.

It's understood Liverpool initially made advances over Ekitike back in January as Arne Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes began to gently plan how their attack might look for the campaign ahead.

Slot spoke to the the player at the end of last season and sold him the vision for how he would fit in when leading the line.

Already armed with all the data, scouting reports and character references needed to pursue the deal, the Reds were then able to act quickly to conclude a deal after Newcastle’s own initial bid was rejected.

Liverpool’s willingness to be proactive earlier in the calendar year ultimately allowed them to gain the necessary information to proceed when it was agreed that Ekitike was the right player for the next stage of their evolution up front.

But his arrival was not the end of the Reds’ attacking evolution as they continued to pursue Isak. While an £110m bid was rejected by Newcastle at the start of August as the Magpies held firm, their stance softened come the end of the transfer window as it became clear there was no way back for the Sweden international at St. James’ Park.

Sure enough, he got his dream move to Anfield as Newcastle’s dream of seeing Ekitike and Isak as team-mates became reality - just not one they would be free to enjoy.

Liverpool now boast an £194m pairing in attack, with it inevitable that onlookers are calling for them to field both strikers together off the back of Ekitike’s explosive start to his Anfield career.

"Maybe at times you'll see a front two employed by the manager," Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher recently suggested to Sky Sports.

Such a notion has perhaps gathered popularity given the fact that Ekitike shone alongside Omar Marmoush in a front two during the first half of last season.

“I’m interested to see whether Liverpool play a 4-4-2,” former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey, who enjoyed his own memorable strike-partnership with Michael Owen, recently admitted to aceodds. “Today teams only really use it as their out of shape formation.

“Generally it’s obsolete. I think Isak and Ekitike can bounce off each other and offer something dynamic in the attacking third.”

“Interestingly neither of them like to stay centrally. They tend to drift wide and all over the place. They’ll have to find that balance whilst factoring in Wirtz and Salah and Salah has to play.

“It’s an interesting one to see how they fit in but I think Isak and Ekitike can play in the same team. Ekitike could maybe play off the left.”

The international break coming straight off the back of transfer deadline day has only fuelled speculation about how the new-look Liverpool attack could line up.

Either Isak or Ekitike could line up on the left, but the Reds already possess Cody Gakpo - who has perhaps harshly been overlooked by some - as first-choice in such a role. The Dutchman recently signed an improved new contract as a reward for his efforts during Liverpool’s title-winning campaign.

The two strikers are not the only big-money attacking arrivals at Anfield this summer either, with Florian Wirtz another player to consider. Supporters arguing for a front two on social media move the £100m man to the left-wing to fit him into such a side.

But the German, who has admittedly endured a quiet start to his Liverpool career, has already revealed Slot’s plan for him. And it is one that will have a knock-on effect for the Reds’ forwards.

It is well-documented that part of the reason Liverpool were successful in their pursuit of Wirtz was the result of persuasive pitch from Slot, which helped the Reds beat the likes of Bayern Munich and Manchester City to his signature.

Speaking at the end of last month, the 22-year-old lifted the lid on what his new head coach had said to persuade him to make the move to Anfield.

“The discussions with Arne were very, very good from the very beginning,” he told German outlet Kicker. “He won me over from the very first meeting.

“He gave me clear ideas and a clear vision of how he could and wanted to use me in his team. This, combined with the structure of the team, really convinced me.

“He saw me in the number 10 position, where I play best. I was brought in for that position because they trusted me to make the team better. And I’m trying to live up to that as best as I can.”

You do not spend an initial £100m on a number 10, tell him he is going to play number 10 to persuade him to join the club and then rip up such a plan only one month into the season.

Evidently, if Slot’s pitch to Wirtz is anything to go by, Liverpool will persist with playing a lone frontman ahead of a playmaker with the sight of a starting front two rather unlikely as a result.

One of the few criticisms Slot faced in his maiden season with the Reds was his resistance to rotate his ranks. Given the extent of Liverpool’s summer spending, that is something that has clearly now been addressed.

Isak and Ekitike are both in competition to start upfront for the Reds, along with Federico Chiesa. But both players can also rival Gakpo on the left, while the Frenchman is also an option at number 10.

Wirtz can play on the left as well as in his favoured position, while Chiesa is an option in any of the front four positions. Teenager Rio Ngumoha has also emerged as a genuine option on the left, while the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones and Jeremie Frimpong have also been touted as rotation options in attack if needed.

And to complete Liverpool’s attacking ranks, there is the talismanic Mohamed Salah on the right-wing.

Slot will not be able to fit all of his attacking talent into the same starting XI. Attempting to shoehorn players into a 4-4-2 formation is not the answer. If you want to see a front two at Anfield, turn on your PlayStation, Xbox or PC and load up EA FC or Football Manager.

Instead, Liverpool have instilled greater exciting strength in depth with Slot’s line-ups set to be more unpredictable as a result.

Last season they won the Premier League, boasting the most potent attack in the process, before falling short on additional fronts. But their summer recruitment has given them the best possible opportunity to rectify such ‘shortcomings’ last year.

With Isak short on match fitness after a disjointed pre-season with Newcastle, Ekitike will likely continue to lead the line for Liverpool in the short-term. The former will be limited to a debut off the bench at best away at Burnley on Sunday as the Reds gradually get him up to speed.

But once Isak has found his feet at Anfield, Slot’s hand, featuring a new-look £294m attack to complement his already existing options, will have never been stronger.

And while a front two of Isak and Ekitike might not be a regular sight at Liverpool, if Wirtz's admission is anything to go by, Newcastle’s unfulfilled dream is still set to become the nightmare of Premier League defences.

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