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Anfield boss Arne Slot has questioned commentators who “favour other clubs” for their remarks over the team’s summer spending as he prepares to give a maiden outing to Alexander Isak.

The last day purchase of Swedish forward Alexander Isak from the Magpies for a British record price of £125 million took the Reds’ investment to £450 million on 8 additions.

The new arrival is expected to make his maiden show for the Reds in their UCL first match against Atletico Madrid at Anfield on this week.

In his ahead of the game press conference, Slot emphasized that the club’s unprecedented outlay was balanced by over £250m received in player sales, having used just £10 million the previous off-season.

“There is so much emphasis on our recent acquisitions, particularly from commentators that are biased toward certain other sides in the country that can’t stop speaking about £450m,” the boss said.

“Once more, £450 million pounds, £450 million! But they ignore about around £300m that we have transferred out [players] for. So, yes, if we need to strengthen the team we must to spend that much money.”

The manager felt the club “completed smart transfers”, given all 8 of their signings are aged 25 years old or under, and the club “deserves to get credit” for the plan it has taken.

“From my perspective it is just a compliment that pundits remind everyone we have invested so much because that tells you the individuals we acquired are viewed as excellent players,” noted the Dutchman.

“A number of other sides prefer bring in players in their late twenties because they are match-fit, but we feel we have brought in individuals who are young [and] who are prepared.

“In my opinion all the money we have used we earned on our own by selling, and by winning the league after we failed to buy a single player at all.”

The striker did not play in the Reds’ narrow win at the Clarets on Sunday – the initial match since he signed for Anfield – because he is still lacking of match fitness.

The forward trained alone at former side the Magpies, in a attempt to push through his transfer to Anfield, and must undergo further work to get fully fit after sitting out pre-season.

The player’s only outing this season came for Sweden in an brief cameo from the substitutes in a two-goal defeat by Kosovo last week.

Arne Slot said he is “absolutely confident” the new signing will not play 90 minutes against the Spanish club but indicated he will play a some minutes against the Spanish side.

“Isak is part of the squad, so it's now a UCL game to anticipate, but if people anticipate his involvement, that could indicate that could happen on Wednesday as well,” the boss continued.

“So the time he is ready, sharp, [he] can play the full game, and then the subsequent phase is playing multiple games in a week complete games.

“And that is what he has to do; hitting the back of the net and doing outstanding things in the final third is something he will certainly do. The main obstacle he has is to become so fit that he's above all ready to do what he did last season.”