By Chris Burns
Copyright dailystar
Jeremie Frimpong declared that Alexander Isak was “finally here” as he welcomed the Swedish star to Liverpool. Following a drawn-out transfer saga that dominated the entire summer, Isak completed a British-record £125million switch to Liverpool from Newcastle on deadline day. Frimpong, who arrived from Bayer Leverkusen in May , became the first Liverpool player to greet the 25-year-old, as captured in Isak’s signing day footage that the club has recently released. The Dutch star, 24, picked up a hamstring problem during the opening week of the new campaign. He was undertaking recovery work at the club’s Kirkby training facility in Merseyside when Isak turned up for his medical examination and media obligations, whilst the remainder of the Liverpool squad were away on international assignments. Frimpong, appearing genuinely delighted to encounter Isak, offered his hand to his latest team-mate before delivering his two-word greeting and embracing him. Similar to countless Liverpool fans, it’s evident that the club’s players were also holding their breath to discover whether Newcastle’s talisman would secure his desired transfer to the Premier League champions, reports the Mirror . Frimpong’s enthusiasm clearly demonstrates that the full-back is eager to take the field alongside the striker, whilst potentially exposing his investment in the most significant transfer story in recent memory. Despite only featuring in the Community Shield loss to Crystal Palace , where he found the net, and Liverpool’s opening night win over Bournemouth in the Premier League, Frimpong has generated enthusiasm among the Anfield supporters. Taking over the mantle of Trent-Alexander Arnold, while battling Conor Bradley and now-makeshift defender Dominik Szoboszlai, for the right-back berth is no mean feat. Yet Frimpong’s startling pace, eye for a cross and his infectious personality have made him an instant fan-favourite. The Dutch defender’s zest for life was evident when discussing another of Liverpool’s summer signings. He revealed his joy that his former Leverkusen colleague Florian Wirtz would also be joining the Reds, stating their Merseyside reunion would be “extra fun”. He told ESPN : “I’m really excited. I’m really looking forward to playing with Liverpool. And of course, Florian Wirtz, my good friend, he’s coming too. That makes it extra fun.” Meanwhile, attention will focus on Isak this weekend as Liverpool travel to Turf Moor to face Burnley on Sunday afternoon. Whilst Isak is lacking in match sharpness, having missed most of pre-season with Newcastle whilst pushing for his Liverpool switch, he did clock up 18 minutes for Sweden in their loss to Kosovo on Monday evening. Discussing his comeback, Isak said: “It’s great that everything was settled before the camp and that I could focus on playing football again. It’s been a fairly new situation for me, but you always learn and develop mentally off the pitch as well.” Frimpong might also return to the pitch this weekend, with his injury initially predicted to sideline him until after the fortnight-long international break.
