Alexander Isak: Nominated for PL POTY & YPOTY

[r0cafella]

Keep at all cost, only ever sell if he refuses to renew. He’s not replaceable. 

[Whitley mag]

Unreal talent who should be played off a main striker, pair with Sesko or Ferguson next season in a 4-2-3-1.

[Nine]

6 hours ago, TheBrownBottle said:

I'm not against selling any of our players - but 80-100m for Isak would not represent good business

Who knows what he could become, but he has 12 in 30 for us after one full (injury included) season. You wouldn’t get 100m for Isak today.

 

I know, I know - Caicedo and the like. But I don’t feel Isak would demand that kind of fee yet.

 

 

Edited September 18, 2023 by Nine

[KaKa]

6 hours ago, Ronaldo said:

He’s a great player, not Jacob Murphy. There are a dozen Champions League regulars who’d gladly build their attack around him.

 

What on Earth are you on about?

 

He's had a fantastic first season and helped the club do the same.

 

What is going so badly that has to change like you said, in order for him to stay.

 

This is so weird.

[Ikon]

His talent is undoubted, always has been. It's the consistency he needs to find to be considered absolutely top class. He's not there yet.

[KaKa]

5 hours ago, cubaricho said:

Agreed. And I don’t see the Wilson to Barca links anywhere? That’s the most telling to me.
 

Isak needs to be starting and the system built to suit him (and Tonali / Bruno) as much as possible. 

 

Wait, are you guys saying this because he was rested against Brentford?

 

What are you lot talking about?

[Mazzy]

He's only 23/24. When you look at what the really top tier strikers had achieved by that age its maybe obvious he's not going to be one of them. However what he is, is something entirely unique and still absolutely capable of getting 20+ goals a season for us over the next 3/4 seasons. 

[TheBrownBottle]

31 minutes ago, Nine said:

Who knows what he could become, but he has 12 in 30 for us after one full (injury included) season. You wouldn’t get 100m for Isak today.

 

I know, I know - Caicedo and the like. But I don’t feel Isak would demand that kind of fee yet.

 

 

 

I reckon he would, you know.  But I also don’t think the club would even hold a conversation for less than £120m

[Chris_R]

18 hours ago, Menace said:

Christ man its alway the same shite when a nonsense rumour comes out about one of our best players. Would City entertain selling Haaland? Would Arsenal sell Odegaard? If we are going to be one of the elites, this shouldn't even be a conversation.

 

Would Man U sell Beckham or Ronaldo?

 

Big sides sell good players. It happens, for many reasons. We may or may not sell Isak, time will tell, but what I do know is that if we sell him it'll be for a massive profit, and that money will be reinvested.

 

I don't want to sell any of our good players, but at some point we will.

[Cronky]

19 hours ago, Nucasol said:

I figured one of Real or Barca would be interested given he’s got pedigree from Sociedad.

 

Too late, amigos.

[Dan Gleebals]

Tomorrow night has Isak written all over it IMO.  He will start for sure.

Front three of either:

Isak | Wilson | Gordon
Barnes | Isak | Gordon

 

 

Edited September 18, 2023 by Dan Gleebals

[Gallowgate Toon]

He's exceptionally talented but we saw against City, Liverpool, and Brighton that he's got a bit of a way to go yet. He was anonymous in the first 2, despite us having decent share of the ball, and wasteful at the AMEX. Wilson had one chance to make something happen and took it there. Wilson actually had almost as many touches and more shots against Liverpool & City than Isak did despite playing less than half the minutes. The easy thing to say there is that he was isolated in those games and that'd be true, but we bought him for the money we did as a difference maker who should be roaming and looking for the ball when space in the central spots is locked down. He didn't do this enough so didn't see the ball.

 

He's my favourite player to watch at NUFC and the most talented in our ranks but there's a reason that he came here in the first place despite already having been at a big club European club. I think the Swedish coach is meant to be shite but I think he recently made some comments about how Isak needs to take more responsibility and I'd agree with that. Competition is the healthiest thing to help him develop his mentality.

[Optimistic Nut]

Until we're at the very top I think we'll go through a few seasons where we might see a big hitter go for £100m plus, but then replaced with a top class player. I'd be surprised if in our 26/27 title winning campaign we still have all of Bruno, Botman and Isak. We'll have 4-5 different high quality players still though. 

[The College Dropout]

I agree that he should be doing more in those types of games. I think him not getting even 10 minutes despite Wilson looking tired was Howe saying, "this is how you need to hustle to play in our team".

 

But I also think our striker is too isolated. Wilson got more change than Isak did.. but he was still isolated and in essence.. just battling for 90 minutes and trying to find scraps. Isak is less of a battler and less of a scavenger, which he needs to improve. But our strikers aren't in a system where they can easily link up with others, pass and move.

 

It's a little bit like Moyes and West Ham. Michail Antonio said himself that the system requires a battler, someone to scrap and feed off scraps. And he can do that better than the Italian lad. But he also said the Italian lad was a great footballer and in another system, would really shine. It's a little bit like that this season.

 

That's my little paradox with Howe. While we are stunted by FFP we have to find other ways than pure quality to be better than the "top 6" and being the hardest running, biggest fighting team in the PL is one method that could work. But I also think to belong at the highest level, you need real quality. And especially going forward, we don't have that real quality in numbers. We don't have any number 10's. Everyone agreed Barnes is a better fit than Maddison but Maddison is the better player with more quality. And atm we are overly tilted to hard work and efficiency. We need our Antoine Griezmann - a workhorse but with real top quality. And obviously to develop Isak into an elite player that I think he can become - that is a little harder working and savvy.

 

 

Edited September 18, 2023 by The College Dropout

[Dr. TC]

27 minutes ago, Dan Gleebals said:

Tomorrow night has Isak written all over it IMO.  He will start for sure.

Front three of either:

Isak | Wilson | Gordon
Barnes | Isak | Gordon

 

 

 

No chance miggy is missing out. Will be Gordon on the left I think. 

[KaKa]

Was Isak not just rested because of international duty and the game on Tuesday, which I expect he will start?

[The College Dropout]

4 minutes ago, KaKa said:

Was Isak not just rested because of international duty and the game on Tuesday, which I expect he will start?

He played 83 minutes on Tuesday. Wilson looked tired the last 10-15. I think a little part was Howe showing him that he needs to work harder. But I do think he starts the next game.

[KaKa]

3 minutes ago, The College Dropout said:

He played 83 minutes on Tuesday. Wilson looked tired the last 10-15. I think a little part was Howe showing him that he needs to work harder. But I do think he starts the next game.

 

Nah man, don't think it was anything to do with showing him he has to work harder. 

 

Where has that even come from?

[54]

8 minutes ago, The College Dropout said:

He played 83 minutes on Tuesday. Wilson looked tired the last 10-15. I think a little part was Howe showing him that he needs to work harder. But I do think he starts the next game.

Not going to lie, that bit in is a massive stretch like.

[The College Dropout]

Potentially a stretch aye. But how often has Wilson played 90 minutes under Howe? Even Wood would get 10 minutes at the end. Could just be a CL thing.

16 minutes ago, KaKa said:

 

Nah man, don't think it was anything to do with showing him he has to work harder. 

 

Where has that even come from?

I don't think he was "rested" in the purest form. Almiron played 85 minutes in South America on Tues but got a run out. Bruno played 85 minutes in Peru on Weds and played 90 mins. Wilson himself missed some England training as part of "load management".

 

To me Wilson looked gassed for the last 10-20. Unless Isak had a little knock, he should've played the last 10-15. Him staying on the bench - I think - could've been a little signal to Isak to hustle a little sharper. Almiron got on because he's the hardest worker in the squad - despite genuinely needing a rest.

 

Might be nothing. Just speculating.

[Yorkie]

1 hour ago, Optimistic Nut said:

Until we're at the very top I think we'll go through a few seasons where we might see a big hitter go for £100m plus, but then replaced with a top class player. I'd be surprised if in our 26/27 title winning campaign we still have all of Bruno, Botman and Isak. We'll have 4-5 different high quality players still though. 

 

I don't think we'll ever be high enough in the food chain to prevent the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid signing our players. Probably several others; Man City, Bayern, PSG. Even Liverpool couldn't keep Coutinho.

[KaKa]

22 minutes ago, The College Dropout said:

Potentially a stretch aye. But how often has Wilson played 90 minutes under Howe? Even Wood would get 10 minutes at the end. Could just be a CL thing.

I don't think he was "rested" in the purest form. Almiron played 85 minutes in South America on Tues but got a run out. Bruno played 85 minutes in Peru on Weds and played 90 mins. Wilson himself missed some England training as part of "load management".

 

To me Wilson looked gassed for the last 10-20. Unless Isak had a little knock, he should've played the last 10-15. Him staying on the bench - I think - could've been a little signal to Isak to hustle a little sharper. Almiron got on because he's the hardest worker in the squad - despite genuinely needing a rest.

 

Might be nothing. Just speculating.

 

Ah, okay.

 

I think the intention was just to save Isak for Tuesday.

 

With the way the game went, probably also made sense to keep Wilson out there to see things out as it was such a scrappy, tight game, and Wilson does a good job of drawing fouls and seeing things out.

[The College Dropout]

5 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

 

I don't think we'll ever be high enough in the food chain to prevent the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid signing our players. Probably several others; Man City, Bayern, PSG. Even Liverpool couldn't keep Coutinho.

Apart from childhood or location reasons... it's Barca / Real then everybody else.

 

Liverpool only lose players to those clubs in their prime.

 

Players not wanting to renew contracts will force more transfers.

[SUPERTOON]

I thought the lack of subs was more to do with not wanting a repeat of the Liverpool game after he made subs and we fell apart.

[The Prophet]

The stats men pretty much debunked that.