Liverpool boss Arne Slot makes decision on Alexander Isak and fires back at pundits

Arne Slot believes that Alexander Isak is ready to make his eagerly-anticipated Liverpool debut - whilst defending the Reds' eye-watering £450million summer splurge. Isak, a £125m deadline day capture from Newcastle, is set to feature as Slot's troops kick off their Champions League campaign at home to La Liga outfit Atletico Madrid on Wednesday evening.

The striker sat out Sunday's Premier League triumph at Burnley to work on his conditioning, having managed just one substitute outing for Sweden since last season end. And Slot declared: "There is definitely a chance (Isak will play) because he is in the squad. I can say it is 100 per cent sure he will not play 90 minutes. Can he start? The only thing that is sure is that he will not play 90, and all the rest we will see."

Isak boasts merely six previous Champions League career outings combined for former clubs Borussia Dortmund and Newcastle.

And when quizzed about the biggest hurdle now confronting the striker, Slot added: "Getting fit after missing four months of proper team sessions. He doesn't have to prove to anyone he is good enough to play in the Premier League because that is what he has proven already at Newcastle.

"He has to become so fit that he is first of all ready to do what he did last season. Then he can play 90, then the next step is playing three times in a week and then the next step is going one step further in terms of pressing. Scoring goals and doing special things in attack is something he will 100 per cent do."

Isak formed the cornerstone of a massive squad transformation that saw £116m attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz, £79m striker Hugo Ekitike, £40m left-back Milos Kerkez, £29m right-back Jeremie Frimpong and £26m centre-back Giovanni Leoni all arrive.

Such enormous expenditure has drawn considerable attention, but Slot insists that Liverpool have recovered more than half their investment through player sales - something he feels is being ignored.

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"There's so much focus on our new signings, especially pundits who favour not us but some other clubs in the country that cannot stop talking about £450m, I repeat £450m, I repeat £450m, but they always forget the millions that we've sold for," declared the Reds boss.

"These players we have brought in together with players that are worth the same amount of money. So, yes, if we want to strength the squad we need to spend that much money. If we sell Dominik Szoboszlai tomorrow he would be worth £100m as well.

"I am partly responsible for bringing players in as well with other people. I think we did great business, we brought in great players and to add to that, we have already lowered the age of the players.

"Some other teams prefer to bring in 27-year-olds because they are ready but we think we have brought in players who are 21 or 22 who are ready.

"And then if they are still with you in four or five years, we can sell Luis Diaz for £65m. But it is harder to sell him for £65m if he is already 32. That is our model and I think we should get praise.

"It is only a compliment that people tell everyone we have spent so much because that tells you the players we brought in are seen as very good players.

"All the money we have spent we generated ourselves by selling and by winning the league."

Despite a slow start to his career at Anfield, 22-year-old German international Wirtz has been singled out for criticism, having yet to complete a full 90 minutes.

However, Slot defended him: "There is so much focus on Florian, but the ones that have stayed behind as part of a team haven't scored four goals or got 12 assists either.

"He is part for team that is top of the league, that won against Newcastle and Arsenal, where the team of last season didn't win. He is part of a team that is number one in the league at the moment."

Alexis Mac Allister has bounced back from the ankle injury that saw him substituted at half-time against Burnley, but Curtis Jones remains sidelined due to an injury he sustained last month against Arsenal.

"Curtis will train with the team tomorrow so hopefully he is able to be in the squad on Saturday," Slot announced on Tuesday.