Liverpool forward Alexander Isak has become the latest Premier League footballer to invest in a guard dog, reportedly spending £30,000 on the pet.
Isak has had a mixed start to life at the Reds since his £125million summer move from Newcastle, which angered Magpies fans after he forced his way out of the club in a saga that lasted much of the transfer window.
He has so far scored one goal for Liverpool – against Southampton in the Carabao Cup – as he struggles to get up to fitness following a lack of pre-season amid uncertainty over his future.
Now, Isak has invested in what is said to be a highly-trained Dobermann to protect him off the field.
It comes a little over two months after Isak was involved in a Sweden side that received death threats on the back of a poor run of performances early on in their World Cup qualifying campaign.
After failing to win either of their opening two qualifiers, Sweden sat five points adrift of group leaders Switzerland and two points behind Kosovo in a predicament which left tensions amongst some Swedish supporters boiling over in September.
Alexander Isak has spent £30,000 on a guard dog after receiving death threats, according to a report
A highly-trained Dobermann – breed example pictured – is said to have been purchased to protect the forward off the field
A number of the players were subjected to vile death threats on social media post-match in abuse which the Swedish FA said ‘crossed the line’. Around 10 of the comments were reported to the police.
A statement released by the FA’s head of security Martin Fredman read: ‘We have a routine based on how we should work when we know or suspect that our social media will be burdened with comments that in various ways cross the line.
‘When scanning through our own channels and some of the players’, we found comments that were far over the limit.
‘We’re proceeding with about 10 which we think are crimes. It is up to the police and prosecutors to make sure that it holds up to their preliminary investigation.’
Isak has purchased the dog from Phoenix Dogs, with the company describing the forward’s new pet as ‘beautiful inside and out’ and a ‘fabulous beast’.
‘Living her best life, showcasing her beauty amongst the autumn leaves. We have all fallen head over heels in love with this stunning girl,’ the account captioned a picture of the dog.
‘Beautiful inside and out, she encapsulates all that a Dobermann should, a truly fabulous beast.’
Isak was tagged in the post, alongside a shaking hands emoji.
Jack Grealish, 28, posed for a photo with his £25,000 protection dog, (left) and his Cockapoo last year
It comes with a number of footballers having suffered break-ins in recent times, including the likes of Raheem Sterling. The winger left England’s World Cup camp during the 2022 tournament in Qatar after his home in Cobham was raided while his family were inside. An estimated £300,000 worth of jewellery and watches were stolen.
Recently, in addition to that, he confronted masked burglars with a knife to protect his children during a terrifying break-in.
Several footballers, including the likes of Marcus Rashford, Kyle Walker and Jack Grealish, own guard dogs amid the risk of potential break-ins.
Isak’s manager, Arne Slot, meanwhile, has admitted that he is going to be forced into playing Isak over what is a busy period for the Reds.
‘We can improve as a team and we will improve definitely as individuals because players will be adapted to the league much better,’ Slot said ahead of his side’s Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest. ‘With Alex, it will still take a bit of time but he will end up being the player he was at Newcastle if we get him fit.
‘I do know that 100 per cent fit Alexander Isak is a big, big, big plus for this team. But for him to get there, he might need to have minutes where you could argue that another player might be further ahead of him in terms of match fitness.’
