David James: Liverpool do not need Isak to defend Premier League title

Former Liverpool goalkeeper David James has told William Hill that the Premier League champions do not need to sign Alexander Isak to defend their crown.

Speaking at the launch of Final One Standing by William Hill, James said: “Liverpool don’t need Alexander Isak to win the Premier League. It’s possible for a team to be blessed with too many riches – and it can end with disappointing results.

“I know it’s important not to attach too much importance to pre-season fixtures, but Liverpool look like a well-balanced side full of confident players. If they were to sign Isak, one immediate benefit would be that it would significantly weaken Newcastle. But that’s not the difference between winning the Premier League or not – it wouldn’t make them any stronger favourites than they already are.”

Mamardashvili can challenge Alisson

Ex-Reds stopper James also believes that Giorgi Mamardashvili could pose a threat to Alisson’s starting spot between the sticks.

James added: “Alisson is still the best goalkeeper in the world. I know Gianluigi Donnarumma had an amazing season with Paris Saint-Germain, he delivered top performances in a lot of big games but didn’t necessarily perform consistently in Ligue 1.

“Alisson does pick up a few injuries though, and that can open the door for Giorgi Mamardashvili. If he gets an opportunity, Mamardashvili can keep Alisson out of the team. Mamardashvili had a difficult season last year with Valencia, they were in the bottom three in La Liga for a long period of the campaign, but that wasn’t down to his performances.

“Caoimhín Kelleher was a fantastic deputy to Alisson, but Mamardashvili will be coming to Anfield with the confidence that he can be the new No1. He’s got the ability to push Alisson and from Arne Slot’s perspective, he will be able to pick from two superb keepers.”

Final One Standing

James was speaking at the launch of William Hill’s new free-to-play game Final One Standing, and the Premier League legend is excited for the upcoming season ahead.

He said: “The team at William Hill know that I hold the Premier League record for most penalties saved – 13 in total! – so I was a natural fit to be involved in the challenges to launch the Final One Standing product.

“William Hill have been fantastic in their promotion of safer gambling and the new Final One Standing product is really good. When I was a Premier League player, it was all about recording that win every weekend. The more consecutive wins you can rack up, the more confident you feel and that will be the same with Final One Standing.

“Making predictions is not easy though, I do them every week in my punditry role and it’s not often you can get scores correct week after week. If you are one of the players who manages to make it through to Matchday 2, you’re doing very well!”

David James was speaking at the launch of William Hill’s new free-to-play game Final One Standing. Players have the chance to win a share of £500,000, with jackpots to be won every week through the 2025/26 Premier League season. Learn more about Final One Standing here.