Kross questioned Isaac s 144 million euro transfer: Football cognitive gap and value game behind sky-high prices

When Liverpool signed Newcastle striker Isaac at a sky-high price of 144 million euros on the transfer window deadline, the deal that broke the Premier League summer transfer record quickly ignited the football world. The sharp comments made by former Real Madrid star Kroos in his podcast with his younger brother have escalated the transfer controversy - "About half of the audience have never heard of Isaac" "This is a lot of money." In just a few words, it not only points out the huge contrast between player popularity and transfer fees, but also unveils the complex veil of the contemporary football player value evaluation system.

Kross' questioning is not aimless. Although Isaac, born in 1999, became famous at a young age and made his mark in Sweden at the age of 16. He was highly expected when he joined Dortmund for 8.6 million euros in 2017, but his experience in the German arena is "not adaptable to the local conditions." During his two seasons with Dortmund, the 1.90-meter striker made only 21 appearances in the Bundesliga, contributing 5 goals and 1 assist. The frequent injuries and tactical adaptation problems have kept him from gaining a foothold.

After switching to Real Sociedad in 2019, although Isaac gradually regained his form and averaged 0.5 goals in La Liga in the past three seasons, he has never been selected as the FIFA Best Team of the Year candidate in his career compared to his net worth of 144 million euros, and he is not even the main player in the Swedish national team (as of 2025, he scored 17 goals in 47 appearances). Such a resume is indeed difficult to match the label of "Mr. Billion Yuan". The Cross brothers specifically mentioned his sluggish performance in Dortmund, but in fact they were hinting: Why can a player who has proved himself in the top league suddenly become the third-highest striker in football despite obvious shortcomings in his resume?

Behind Liverpool's big bet is a double consideration of player potential and tactical needs. In the "high-pressing + fast conversion" system of Red Army coach Slott, there is a lack of a forward with both speed (Isaac's sprint speed reaches 35.1km/h), height and technology. Among the existing front lines, Salah focuses on breaking through the wing, Nunez's finishing ability is unstable, and Isak can serve as the center fulcrum (performed 2.3 times per game successfully) and tear the defense line through dribbling (per game successfully surpassed 3.1 times per game), and his technical comprehensiveness just fills the tactical gap. More importantly, Isaac's contract expires in 2027, and Newcastle has no intention of selling it. In order to avoid repeating the mistake of "Haland Battle", Liverpool chose to grab people at a premium at the last moment of the transfer window - 144 million euros include 60 million basic fees + 84 million floating clauses. This "installment payment" model not only meets Newcastle's asking price, but also reserves risk buffer space for Liverpool.

Kroos' evaluation reflects the widespread existence of "cognitive poor" in football. For ordinary fans, Isaac is far less famous than top stars such as Mbappe and Bellingham, but in the professional scouting system, his potential has long been closely tracked. Data company CIES once evaluated that Isaac's "expected transfer value" (xTV) is about 85 million euros, and Liverpool's offer exceeded market expectations by 70%. This premium is essentially a combination of "time cost" and "competitive risk". As Kroos said, "This is a lot of money." 144 million euros are enough to buy two Golden Ball award-level midfielders, but Liverpool's logic is: at a time when centers are scarce, missing Isaac may lead to a gap in the front line competitiveness in the next three seasons, and successfully activate its potential can support the team in the Champions League and Premier League championships.

This transfer further exposes the value paradox of contemporary football: when capital influxes into the market to break the traditional evaluation system, players' value is becoming more and more like "venture investment". When Bale joined Real Madrid for 101 million euros in 2013, it sparked a debate on whether the sky-high price is reasonable. Now the transfer of 144 million euros has been regarded as a "top operation". As a veteran who has personally experienced the "gold-yuan football" era, Kroos's doubts imply concerns about the commercialization of football - When the transfer fee is separated from the competitive performance itself, is football losing its purity? But Liverpool's response is also very direct: in the Premier League's "Six" arms race, not investing means falling behind, and 144 million euros are the "ticket fee" paid for the championship dream.