**Former Newcastle manager Alan Pardew claims Alexander Isak could suffer the same fate as Fernando Torres.**
Chelsea paid £50m to sign the Liverpool striker in 2011, but he failed to score on a regular basis for the Blues, and Pardew suggests Isak could end up struggling in a similar manner following his £130m switch to Anfield:
“This Isak one, I just wonder whether it mirrors Torres. Remember when Torres went to Chelsea? He was absolutely phenomenal at Liverpool. Everyone thought when he went to Chelsea it will be game over. It just didn’t pan out.”
“He obviously won a Champions League medal but, it terms of Isak, is he going to be the player we saw at Newcastle? Or is he going to be different? At the moment, he’s not match-fit, so it’ll be a little bit unfair to judge him, but it’s a slow start.”
Fans will be delighted by Isak’s difficult start
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The manner of the 26-year-old’s departure from St James’ Park means there is now no love lost between the supporters and the player.
If Isak does struggle to the same extent as Torres did, there will be plenty of people in the North East who will revel in his misfortune.
Newcastle have found a perfect replacement
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While Isak’s acrimonious exit is still fresh in the memory, the fact that [**Nick Woltemande**](https://newcastleunitednews.org/blog/newcastle-news-nick-woltemade-arsenal-gabriel/) has gotten off to such a strong start has heartened many.
Since the German international’s £69m switch from Stuttgart, he has found the back of the net 5 times in 8 appearances. His latest strike came against Brighton & Hove Albion at the weekend, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Magpies from suffering their third league defeat of the campaign. Eddie Howe’s side currently sit 13th in the table.
[**Read more about the Newcastle United First Team Squad for 2025/26 here**](https://newcastleunitednews.org/blog/newcastle-united-first-team-squad/)