- Alexander Isak has hit the headlines in recent weeks with his impressive form
- Isak, a Newcastle United forward joined the club in August 2022 but broke out to form
- Isak has scored seven goals in his last seven matches for the Magpies who are chasing a Champions League slot
Newcastle is on the verge of qualifying for the Champions League thanks to the goals of Alexander Isak.
The Magpies’ £60 million record signing has scored seven goals in his previous seven outings, including a double in Sunday’s 6-1 thrashing of Tottenham, bringing his total for the club he joined last August to 10 in 15 Premier League matches.
We take a look at a 23-year-old who is quickly becoming a new hero on Tyneside.
Background
Isak, who was born in the Stockholm suburb of Solna and is of Eritrean descent, began his professional career with home-town club AIK before being signed by Borussia Dortmund in January 2017. After a loan spell with Willem II in the Netherlands, he departed the Bundesliga for Spain and Real Sociedad, where he really found his feet. In three seasons in La Liga, he made 131 games, scored 43 goals, won the Copa del Rey, and finished in the top six three times.
READ: How Eddie Howe has transformed Newcastle United
Arrival
Eddie Howe was authorized to break the club’s record fee of £40 million for Joelinton in July 2019 to sign Isak in August last year, putting an end to a long-running hunt for a striker. He was Newcastle’s fourth signing of the summer, following a permanent agreement for full-back Matt Targett and swoops for goalkeeper Nick Pope and defender Sven Botman, and his fee brought the club’s spending binge to £200 million in just two transfer windows.
Alexander Isak joined Premier League side Newcastle United in August 2022. | PHOTO: Sky Sports |
Debut
The indicators were there from the start that Newcastle might have a player on their hands when Isak made his debut at Liverpool with a magnificent strike 38 minutes in. He was unfortunate to have a second goal called out for a marginal offside decision, and his evening was capped off by Fabio Carvalho winning it for the hosts eight minutes into stoppage time.
Style of Play
The 39-cap Sweden international is not a classic centre-forward in the mould of the club’s all-time leading scorer Alan Shearer, and he confesses that heading the ball is not one of his talents. However, his versatility to play across the front line, his pace, his desire to drop deep and connect the play, and his eye for goal have proven to be valuable tools since he recovered from the thigh injury that kept him out from September to January.
Alexander Isak impact
Howe’s favoured 4-3-3 system necessitates only one out-and-out frontman, and while he hasn’t ruled out the idea of Isak and Callum Wilson starting together from the start, he has only done so so far. However, such has been the Swede’s form in recent weeks that he has been the man in possession, despite the fact that the battle between the two guys for the starting slot has spurred on both.
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