Alexander Isak

[Joe1984]

12 hours ago, Mike said:

 

If he leaves us I will die.

Hope that doesn't include retirement... 🤣

[SteV]

16 minutes ago, Hudson said:

He’s still shite though, ain’t he. 

I think not, but I’ll respect that opinion more than that of someone that says he’s a crock.

[Erikse]

1 hour ago, konvaljen said:

Exactly, just highlighting how ridiculous it is to label players as injury prone on short time scales. They both have a pretty average record over time.

 

Not saying either have the absolut highest availability, but it sometimes sounds like Isak is on par with Wilson which is ridiculous. He played 30/38 pl games last season and has played 15/17 this season.

 

EDIT: And you suggested to compare Haaland vs Isak recently. Haaland played 31/38 last season and have, 17/17 this one. Pretty similar to Isak’s stats to be fair.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I suggested to compare the last 2,5 seasons specifically, meaning since both players arrived in the league. Isak has missed 38 games, Haaland has missed 20. Isak has missed nearly twice as many games.

 

If you look at Willock and Wilson, they weren't much injured at all at the start of their carreer. They became injury prone at some point. We don't know for sure whether it's the norm for him just yet, but it's not uncommon for the problems to start later on. His injury history before joining us doesn't necessarily mean that much.

 

When it comes to Haaland I think it's pretty clear that Man City has better routines in terms of preventing injuries than what he had at Dortmund. Whether that be training or something else. I've allways maintained that there are many things you can do to minimize chances of an injury crisis happening, it's not just luck or bad luck.

 

Man City has their problems this season, but it's unusual for them.

 

 

Edited December 24, 2024 by Erikse

[BonesJones]

 

[Tiresias]

22 hours ago, BonesJones said:

 

Bit harsh on Bruno calling him not elite level supply

[toon25]

Fucking love this bloke. So lucky to have him

[PauloGeordio]

"Throughout my career, I have never commented on rumours during the season (regarding reported transfer interest). There have been many such years where that (moving clubs) has been talked about. It doesn’t affect me. My situation at Newcastle? I have never had any problem there and I am fully focused on my task there, that we will have a fantastic season. There are still great opportunities for that and I have no thoughts about anything else. Much of what I read (about myself) is not true. That is about all I can say about the whole thing."

[Harry 209]

Had a look at the official NUFC annual today, wherein Dan Burn and Sean Longstaff pick their greatest ever NUFC XI. There's some current squad included (eg. Bruno and Trippier) but Alexander Isak will be disappointed to see they picked Shearer and............................................................................................................................Shola Ameobe before him.

[CPL]

12 minutes ago, Harry 209 said:

Had a look at the official NUFC annual today, wherein Dan Burn and Sean Longstaff pick their greatest ever NUFC XI. There's some current squad included (eg. Bruno and Trippier) but Alexander Isak will be disappointed to see they picked Shearer and............................................................................................................................Shola Ameobe before him.

Instant contract termination and permanently banned from the forum. 

[Hudson]

Even Prime are trying to sell him for us, fuck off.

[Ikon]

On page two…. För helvete! 
 

Luke-Puke saying we will resist any bids and that we’ve set a price tag over 150m. Nothing surprising really but love to read it. 

[Scoot]

22 minutes ago, Ikon said:

On page two…. För helvete! 
 

Luke-Puke saying we will resist any bids and that we’ve set a price tag over 150m. Nothing surprising really but love to read it. 

 

Link?

[SteV]

27 minutes ago, Ikon said:

On page two…. För helvete! 
 

Luke-Puke saying we will resist any bids and that we’ve set a price tag over 150m. Nothing surprising really but love to read it. 

He’s probably right, and not sure there’s a club in world football that can afford him save for making a substantial sale(s).

[Ikon]

22 minutes ago, Scoot said:

 

Link?

Twitter. I can’t share the tweet because he blocked me. 

 

 

Edited December 28, 2024 by Ikon

[KaKa]

34 minutes ago, Scoot said:

 

Link?

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/12/28/newcastle-value-alexander-isak-at-more-than-150m/

[PauloGeordio]

37 minutes ago, KaKa said:

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/12/28/newcastle-value-alexander-isak-at-more-than-150m/

Alexander Isak is rapidly turning into one of the most coveted players in Europe, but Newcastle United will resist any attempt to lure him away with a record price tag in excess of £150 million put on the Sweden international.

Newcastle blocked talks to poach Isak last summer by quoting a fee of around £150 million for the 25-year-old, which immediately scared off Chelsea. With 3½ years left on his contract, which Newcastle may well look to extend at the end of the season, the asking price will not be lowered. The world record for a transfer is Neymar’s £198 million move from Barcelona to Paris St-Germain, while the record outlay for a Premier League club is Chelsea’s £106 million on midfielder Enzo Fernandez from Benfica.

Although new contract talks were postponed earlier this year, Newcastle want to keep Isak and know an extension will need to be discussed at some point.

Arsenal have long been linked with an interest in Isak, who has scored 42 goals in 68 Premier League appearances, but would struggle to come up with the sort of money needed to open talks at a time when every club in England are struggling to comply with Premier League profitability and sustainability rules.

PSG are the latest club said to be tracking Isak, while there could be interest from the two Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid. If Liverpool do not agree a new contract with Mohamed Salah, they could also look at Isak as his replacement.

 

However, Newcastle sources have stressed they are “relaxed” about the situation and “have no interest in selling” while the player has repeatedly said he is happy on Tyneside.

Isak has scored 12 goals in 19 appearances this season Credit: CameraSport/Hannah Fountain

Isak was bought from Real Sociedad for a club record fee of £63 million in the summer of 2022 and it makes no sense from a business, let alone a football perspective, for the club’s hierarchy to even consider bids under the £100 million mark.

Isak has been one of the most consistent goalscorers in Europe over the past two years, which is bound to lead to speculation about him leaving. Newcastle, though, have been bewildered by much of it, especially the constant Arsenal links, with some suggesting the narrative that he needs to leave the North East is disrespectful and designed to unsettle the player.

 

After a slow start to the campaign, Isak has scored 11 goals in his last 12 appearances for Newcastle, including his first hat-trick, against Ipswich Town, before Christmas.

“He is calm, cool, he is what you see on the pitch,” said manager Eddie Howe, when asked to sum up Isak’s character and personality. “He doesn’t get overly emotional, which for a striker is a great quality, because that coolness you see and calmness in front of goal is part of his personality.

 

“He is calm, cool, he is what you see on the pitch,” said manager Eddie Howe, when asked to sum up Isak’s character and personality. “He doesn’t get overly emotional, which for a striker is a great quality, because that coolness you see and calmness in front of goal is part of his personality.

“He seems to have an extra half a second when other players don’t. With Alex the beauty of his attitude is that he wants to improve. We give him information and he is responsive. He is not a closed shop. He is in no way thinking he has arrived at a certain place. He knows he has to keep adding to his game. The challenge is great for him to keep scoring freely as he is now.

“There is a lot more to come from him. Our job is to help him deliver that.” 

 

 

Why Newcastle are so confident they can keep Isak

 

Only Erling Haaland has scored more goals in the Premier League over the past two seasons and that is bound to mean Isak is coveted by a number of elite clubs across Europe.

Isak has a long list of admirers and Newcastle know there will be interest shown in the Sweden international.

For now, they are extremely confident they will be able to resist any attempt to lure him away.

Other than a brief conversation with Chelsea last summer, they have not had to rebuff any approaches since he arrived in the summer of 2022. In turn, Isak has said several times that he ignores any talk about him leaving.

Newcastle are currently fifth in the Premier League and should they qualify for the Champions League again next season, they will have little difficulty persuading Isak to stay.

Even if they only manage to qualify for one of Europe’s less prestigious competitions, they are unlikely to sell and will open new contract talks with the player when the time is right.

At the moment, with 3½ years remaining on his current deal, they are in a strong position in negotiations and a price tag around £150 million is likely to block any potential suitors in January, as well as next summer.

 

That will not stop the speculation and if someone is willing to pay a world record transfer fee, Newcastle could well be forced to accept, given their own PSR constraints.

But the message is clear: If you want to sign Isak, you will have to set a British record to get him. There are not many clubs – if any – who can offer that sort of money.

What makes Isak one of the most feared marksmen in Europe

He is an all-round striker and his versatility makes him unpredictable, as he is constantly switching positions.

Isak can play as a centre-forward or in a more withdrawn role as a No 10. He can also play on the left flank and cut inside dangerously. The 25-year-old has played in all three positions at Newcastle, and that versatility makes him even more attractive.

 

Nevertheless, the former Borussia Dortmund and Real Sociedad man is most effective when he is in the middle of the pitch, where he keeps defenders guessing.

At times, Isak will drop into the pocket of space between centre-back and midfield to collect the ball, either spreading play or turning to dribble at the centre-backs. He is a real threat when carrying the ball – among strikers in the league this season he leads the league for total carries (133), carries ending in a shot (12) and carries ending with a chance created (10). A carry is defined as the player moving the ball five metres or more.

At another moment, he is on the shoulder of the last defender and has the speed to run on to passes played in behind, although he has spurned an unusual number of one-on-one chances with the goalkeeper this season. But his shot conversion rate is a healthy 24.7 per cent in 2024 – a figure bettered by only five players to have scored 10 or more goals. Isak’s 24 Premier League goals this year is a tally only bettered by Erling Haaland and Cole Palmer (26 each).

Isak’s close ball control and gangly frame also make him a nightmare to contain. He is a creator as well as a scorer of goals. The comparison with Arsenal legend, Thierry Henry, is obvious because he can get away from his marker with skill as well as speed.

 

If there is one weakness to his game it is in the air. He has sometimes struggled when isolated, with his back to goal, against strong centre-backs and does not score many with his head, despite notching a brilliant goal against Arsenal from an Anthony Gordon cross earlier this season.

He has also had a difficult time with injuries in the past. They were a feature of his time in Germany and Spain and he has also missed chunks of the season during his time at Newcastle.

Isak was scouted by many clubs when he was at Real Sociedad, but one of the main red flags was his inability to play a full season. That is why Newcastle were able to get him in the first place and interested parties may still have misgivings about handing over more than £100 million as a result.

 

 

 

Edited December 29, 2024 by PauloGeordio

[Kanj]

Don’t scroll back to the 80m or so some were good with taking a few pages ago.

 

hes 200m worth and not a penny less. Thank you very much. 

[ExiledGeordie]

There’s not a cat in hells chance he goes anywhere in January. Next summer if we aren’t in the champions league and someone like Arsenal comes sniffing and in the event Isak dies go then it’ll be north of 120m no less. Not even sure Arsenal can afford that to be honest and they’re in fantasy land if they think they can get him for under 100m let alone 100m. 

[mikejaxer]

I'm not convinced we'll sell or that he even wants to leave but what brings me piece of mind is that if he does, it'll be for a fuck off amounts of money and that there's no doubt we'll reinvest the money into our transfer budget.

[ExiledGeordie]

14 minutes ago, mikejaxer said:

I'm not convinced we'll sell or that he even wants to leave but what brings me piece of mind is that if he does, it'll be for a fuck off amounts of money and that there's no doubt we'll reinvest the money into our transfer budget.

Spot on. He definitely seems happy here and it winds me up that loads of the journos make the Henry comparison and just assume he’ll end up at Arsenal. I do think there’s a chance he goes to someone next summer if we’re not in the champions league because he’ll be 25 and he might be tempted away for that ambition. But as you say it’ll be for a load of cash which will then be reinvested. As I’ve said before he might fire us into the champions league anyway or if we’re in the Europa league and looking strong for next season with Botman back he might stay as well.

 

 

Edited December 29, 2024 by ExiledGeordie

[kingxlnc]

The whole Arsenal thing is annoying because it's just because he's a Henry regen he's being linked. 

 

As if Arsenal have all future dibs on Henry like players because he played for them once. 

 

Does that mean all Shearer regens should play for us? Why hasn't Evan Ferguson been linked with us every week?

[J7]

Wise to put out a huge price tag and hopefully stop a load of unsettling low ball bids. He’s one of the best strikers in the world and the price tag has to reflect that.

[Zero]

I don’t think there is a club that can afford him under the current FFP/PSR

[Ikon]

Credit to Murphy for what he has done this season for us, especially number wise as well as his work rate. Can’t praise him highly enough. 
 

Having said that, IF we can get THE RW for us in January already, one that hits the ground running more or less from the off then it’s looking very very good going forward.

 

Just the idea of a technical and creative wide player coming in has me excited. One that properly improves our “in general play” as well as drawing tons of attention from the opposition allowing for more space in the channels for Isak and Bruno to operate in. 

[TK-421]

Just seen a clip of Henry Winter discussing the Luke Edwards article with Shaun Custis on Talksport from ealrier.

Questioning (Winter) if the £150m price tag is 'realistic' and where we have have gotten that figure from.

I mean, yeah, we should just sell him at a lower price because the teams that want him maybe cant afford the price we put on a player still with a decent contract length, and that we dont want to sell.