Opinion
Six minutes into what would be the concluding game of his Real Sociedad career, Alexander Isak deftly chipped the ball over Marc-Andre ter Stegen to level the scores. It would be his 33rd and final La Liga goal.
Despite being 22, the 6-foot-3 Swede is a vastly experienced professional, with 215 games across five clubs since his debut as a 16-year-old in 2016 for AIK in the Swedish cup – a match he scored in.
Following on from the San Sebastian club, Newcastle United have now acquired Isak’s services for a reported fee of £60 million, with manager Eddie Howe hinting he could make his debut from the substitute bench against Wolves.
Isak has the benefit of joining a club on a surging ascent – thanks in large part to a controversial takeover at the end of last year and the arrival of the hugely touted Howe – only Spurs, Liverpool and Manchester City have taken more than Newcastle’s 43 points this calendar year.
Fresh off the heels of an exciting 3-3 draw against champions Manchester City, the Swede bolsters Newcastle’s attack and boosts their European challenging pedigree.
As manager Eddie Howe described “he has pace, technical ability, dribbling ability,” adding his belief that the game in England “will suit his profile. He’s a really good athlete with a host of things going for him and his best years are ahead of him.”
“He’s a very exciting signing for us,” he affirmed.
Despite lacking an eye-watering goal scoring record – having scored at a rate of approximately one goal every three games in Spain – he possesses a host of alternative qualities that prime him for this Newcastle side.
Most notably on the eye is his physical qualities. At 192 centimetres he presents Newcastle with an adept aerial threat, a target for exceptional crossers such as Kieran Trippier and Allain Saint-Maximin who won 46 per cent of his aerial duels last season.
(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Not only does this create an extra attacking threat for the Magpies, but it also offers them an easy out ball when they become entrenched in their defensive end.
In addition to his stature, the former Sociedad man is exceptionally quick and powerful in his running – his goal against Barcelona last week exemplified that.
Aside from his physical capabilities, Alexander Isak is – especially given his gangly physical make-up – an incredible dribbler. He ranks in the 94th percentile for dribbles completed by forwards in the last 12 months – at 1.83 per game – and the 81st percentile for progressive carries by a forward at 4.83 per game.
Outside of the statistical make-up of his game, his ability to caress the ball through defences, slaloming his way around opponents like a floor gymnast working through their routine. Such skill allows him to play in a manner conducive to linking with those around him.
His press-resistant dribbling ability allows for him to receive the ball along the last line of defenders with time to assess his options to simply go back and recycle possession or turn and drive at defenders, inviting his teammates to join and catch opponents on the break, akin to how Newcastle broke down Manchester City recently.
Such a playstyle bodes well for his new manager and potential new strike partner, Callum Wilson.
A prolific goal scorer, the former Bournemouth man is one of the smartest run makers in the league, and having an added striker next to him, drawing multiple defenders, and making space with his incisive and creative ball moving capabilities, affords Wilson the luxury of worrying less about the hold-up and creative play and more on the goalscoring and darting runs behind opponents.
It will be incredibly interest to see how Eddie Howe choses to utilise the two men. Would he opt to shift Callum Wilson out on to the right wing in his 4-3-3 formation, and utilise his narrowness to create overlapping space for Kieran Trippier outside him?
Or does Isak move out wide and allow Wilson to play through the middle and be the recipient of more chances, especially from the talismanic Frenchman on the left wing?
Options are plenty for this Newcastle side. Given Wilson’s injury history – which will see him miss the upcoming game against Wolves – depth at the striker position is always welcome.
Having drawn comparisons with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, not just due to his nationality, but also the fluid hold-up play that he brings to the side, utilising all his physical and technical attributes to beat defenders and draw teammates into the match in good positions, Isak’s presence bolsters an already strong Newcastle side.
(Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
Unlike Zlatan, however, Isak’s goalscoring history is streaky at best. His best return for Real Sociedad came in 2020-21, when he bagged 17 goals in 34 games. Last season he grabbed six goals in 32 matches. He managed double-digit returns was for Willem II in the Eredivisie four years ago, when he scored 13 in 16.
A scattered goal-scoring return is not ideal especially considering the fee paid to acquire his services. With such an investment, the expectations are high – a 20-goal season would be a fair season in the eyes of many for a new striker, yet Isak may not deliver such a number and still elevate Newcastle into European places.
Despite Eddie Howe’s assertion that his new man has all the hallmarks of a prolific goal scorer, this is yet to be see on a consistent basis. If expectations are softened by the fans, they may come to the realisation that their new No.14 isn’t as va-va voom as the Frenchman who made the number his own at Arsenal.
Eddie Howe’s description of him as “X-factor” is accurate. He is X-factor. He brings so many different attributes to the side, both with and without the ball, that his offerings to this rising Newcastle side are not limited to putting the ball in the back of the net.
Having beaten the likes of Arsenal to the Swede’s signature this acquisition signals Newcastle’s European intentions for this season and future seasons to enter the European fold.
Not only does Isak offer valuable attacking cover, an additional prong to an attack that has shown its potential for prowess and excitement, but he has a high ceiling and a clear example of his goal-scoring nous should that be found and realised in a side with several players able to eek the best out of him.
Few sides around Newcastle possess such a well-rounded attacking talent, a unicorn of sorts.
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