Arsenal and Alexander Isak.
Arsenal would love to sign Alexander Isak.
Arsenal are going to sign Alexander Isak.
Those are two very different things.
It doesn’t matter how many more journalists make up articles claiming Arsenal are going to sign Alexander Isak, it doesn’t change a thing.
Arsenal simply cannot afford Alexander Isak.
What are they going to offer that would make Newcastle United think this would be a good idea?
Some of the things I have seen from Arsenal fans online this season have been glorious.
Arsenal fans/sites asking other Arsenal fans, ‘would you swap Gabriel Jesus for Alexander Isak?’
Hmmm, let me see.
They just don’t get it, how ridiculous it is to even pose this question. Whilst of course pretty much all of the replies to this were of course Arsenal fans saying a resounding YES to Alexander Isak. You would also get them adding that Gabiel Jesus plus £20m for Alexander Isak would be a great deal for them, as though this was an actual thing that could happen in real life.
Imagine if this was The Mag asking Newcastle United fans, ‘would you swap Miguel Almiron for Bukayo Saka?’ Then NUFC fans seriously saying/believing that Miggy plus £20m could/would land the England winger.
What about Isaac Hayden returning to Arsenal plus £20m and we’ll have Martin Odegaard?
Arsenal paid £105m for Declan Rice, he is a decent player but basically a workhorse in midfield. Yet Arsenal fans somehow think they could get Alexander Isak for less than they paid for the midfielder.
Alexander Isak v Gabriel Jesus
Alexander Isak has made 45 Premier League appearances since the start of last (2023/24) season, he has had 37 PL direct goal involvements (31 goals and 6 assists) in that time.
Gabriel Jesus has made 41 Premier League appearances since the start of last (2023/24) season, he has had 11 PL direct goal involvements (6 goals and 5 assists) in that time.
This season, Alexander Isak has had fourteen direct goal involvements in fifteen PL appearances, scoring ten goals and getting four assists.
This season, Gabriel Jesus has had two direct goal involvements in fourten PL appearances, scoring two goals and getting zero PL assists.
Newcastle United paid £63m (£59m plus £4m in future add-ons) for a 22 year old Alexander Isak back in August 2022.
Now 28 months later, Alexander Isak has scored 41 PL goals for Newcastle United, at the rate of a goal every 121 Premier League minutes.
What value could/would Newcastle United put on Alexander Isak?
Well to me he is priceless and I guess that is how Eddie Howe and everybody else sees it.
Thing is as well, he is just getting better and better, 10 goals in Newcastle’s last 11 matches (all competitions). Whilst as well as his goals and assists, Isak’s movement is just another level compared to pretty much any other striker.
What could Arsenal offer Newcastle United?
What could Arsenal offer Alexander Isak?
Who knows what is around the corner for any player, or indeed football club.
However, what I think really gets under the skin of Arsenal fans and others, is that the likes of Alexander Isak, Bruno Guimaraes and others love playing for Newcastle United and love living here.
I think proper Arsenal fans get it, or at least some of them, the small minority of their fanbase who actually come to Tyneside for away matches, as opposed to the keyboard warriors, or embarrassing characters on their YouTube fan channels.
With over three and a half years left on his contract, Newcastle United are under zero pressure to sell Alexander Isak, even if he did hypothetically want to leave for whatever reason.
Alexander Isak is the key player at Newcastle United, he more than any other player is the one who could help us get back into the Champions League, or even just maybe, inspire NUFC to a trophy.
Who would you swap him for, put it that way.
Erling Haaland is of course a brilliant striker but I wouldn’t swap Alexander Isak for him. How many goals would Isak have scored for Man City in recent seasons with the kind of supply line they have had?
Amazingly, nor would I swap Alexander Isak for Gabriel Jesus. Yes, I know, pretty difficult to believe.
You need to keep your very best players, not sell them.
That is the only route to success for Newcastle United.