Newcastle striker Alexander Isak’s rich vein of form has made him one of the hottest properties in European football.
The 25-year-old Sweden international scored his 13th goal of the season in Monday night’s 2-0 win at Manchester United amid continued speculation over his future.
Here, we take a closer look at the Magpies’ £63million record signing.
Stockholm-born Isak, who is of Eritrean heritage, arrived at St James’ Park in August 2022 as a 22-year-old, but with a wealth of experience already under his belt.
He began his professional career at AIK Solna and has brief spells with Borussia Dortmund in Germany and Willem II in the Netherlands before making his name in Spain with Real Sociedad, for whom he scored 16 and 17 goals respectively in his first two seasons.
Significant. After an injury-hit first campaign during which he nevertheless played his part in Newcastle’s fourth-place finish, Isak became the first man to break the 20-goal barrier in a Premier League season for the Magpies since Alan Shearer, finishing 2023-24 with 25 in all competitions.
After a slow start, he has continued in much the same vein this term, leading the line with a potent combination of pace, intelligent movement, deft skill and devastating finishing.
Little short of blistering. A return of one goal from his first seven games of the campaign reflected both Isak’s struggle to hit the ground running and a more general malaise as Newcastle stuttered through the opening weeks of the season.
However, since he found his groove, he has never looked back, He has scored 12 goals in 13 games in all competitions and 11 in as many league outings, including a first hat-trick for the club in a 4-0 win at Ipswich on December 21.
Arsenal had been tracking Isak when the Magpies swooped back in 2022 and have been repeatedly linked with a move as his reputation has grown since his arrival in England.
Chelsea, too, and more speculatively Paris St Germain, against whom he scored in last season’s Champions League, have also been credited with an interest in him at various points.
Isak signed a six-year deal when he joined Newcastle and remains under contract until the summer of 2028.
In an ideal world, they would like to tie him up further as they have done with Bruno Guimaraes, Anthony Gordon and Joelinton, although the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules have made that process more challenging.
Nevertheless, they find themselves in a position of strength and it would take an offer significantly in excess of £100million – one report has suggested as much as £150million – to even consider a sale.
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Head coach Eddie Howe has been consistent in his stance that the club has no intention of selling its best players, and Isak himself has responded to claims that talks over a new deal have stalled.
Speaking to the Swedish media recently, he said: “The only thing I can say is that a lot of information and rumours often come out. Much of what I read is not true, so that’s about all I can say about the whole thing.”
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
