Theo Walcott says only one of Liverpool’s new signings is good enough to start for Man City
Liverpool added many new faces to their ranks in the summer, with Theo Walcott suggesting that only one of them would make it into a combined XI with Manchester City.
The 2025-26 summer transfer window was the busiest in recent memory for Liverpool, with Arne Slot spending over £450 million.
Most thought that these new additions would make them unstoppable, but until the last couple of weeks or so, fans haven’t seen the best of their first-team squad just yet.
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Some, such as Hugo Ekitike, have managed to hit the ground running almost instantly, but for others, it’s still taking them some time to adjust.
With this in mind, it’s not much of a surprise to only see one of the Reds’ new signings named in Walcott’s combined XI between Liverpool and Manchester City.
Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
However, Ekitike isn’t the one who was chosen.
Alexander Isak is the only new Liverpool signing to make it into Theo Walcott’s combined XI
Liverpool have had a tough time of it this season, up until their last couple of games, of course.
No matter what Slot tried to do, nothing seemed to be going his way, but since he’s reverted to his original midfield trio from last season, everything seems to be going much smoother.
Fans are going into Sunday’s game against Man City with a bit of confidence, especially since they beat Real Madrid 1-0 in the Champions League tie on Tuesday.
And now, ahead of the game, while speaking on the It’s Called Soccer Podcast, former Arsenal ace, Walcott, has shared his thoughts on who he’d put into a combined XI of Liverpool and Manchester City players, with injuries taken into account.
Out of all of the Reds’ new signings, only Alexander Isak made it in with the rest of the team as follows: Donnarumma; Szoboszlai, Stones, Van Dijk, Robertson; Rodri, Gravenberch, Foden; Salah, Haaland, Isak.
Arne Slot could try and use Alexander Isak on the left wing to get him and Hugo Ekitike into his Liverpool starting XI
One of the main dilemmas that Slot has faced this season is who to start between Isak and Ekitike.
Both strikers deserve to be Liverpool’s number nine, with both of them able to bring different things to the team.
Going into the 2025-26 season, most thought that Isak would be the star man, but since he’s been injured and not in as good form, that’s not been the case thus far.
However, since Cody Gakpo hasn’t been all that great this term, it could allow the Dutchman to experiment with someone such as Isak on the wing.
While he’s not the quickest, his keen eye for goal and his ability to assist his teammates would make him an ideal winger, especially with Ekitike and Mohamed Salah making up the rest of the attack.
If he does try Isak out on the wing and it works out, not only will it help solve a massive issue, but it also gives the Reds another option at their disposal.
