Alexander Isak - now a Newcastle player

There really is a bit of a lack of top level CF talent at the mo. Isak is great mind.
 
About being the top 5 strikers in the world, probably he gets in.

But in Premier League, he's the best center forward who takes the ball and dribble and attacks you like R9. Probably we should call him, poor man's R9
 
Annihilate Now! said:
To be fair, after Kane and Haaland (and Mbappe if you count him as a CF) there is a pretty big gap where you could throw loads of names.
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Yes that was kind of my take to, and some of the names i have just in front of him. Its crazy how few top top CF there is.

Santos J said:
Think it's fair really, I'd have him ahead of Osimhen/Martinez who are probably the only other 2 in and around the same level after Haaland/Kane/Mbappe.
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This it was most of the guys landed at to. He is a great player, but behind Oshimen and Martinez for me.
Is he clearly better than Watkins f.ex?
 
Seems absurd to consider him a top five level player but then there is a distinct lack of top-level strikers around at the moment.

Haaland, Mbappe and Kane clearly above him.
Then you’ve got the likes of Osimhen, Martinez, Lewandowski (dropped off a fair bit though) and Alvarez that you could argue for.

In the PL I’d only have Haaland above him.
 
I think he gets in every starting eleven in the PL bar City. There is a dearth of strikers these days so it wouldn’t be a shock to see him considered as top 5. He’s still got a lot to prove though.
 
BootsyCollins said:
Started talking about him at work today, some say he is top 5 center forwards in the world at the moment. Is he? I think not, but just outside.
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I'm surprised Newcastle haven't had any bids. Guess the top sides are settled for CFs for now (and Arsenal don't have the finances to drop another 100m + this summer) but he needs to be playing year in year out in CL so big season for Newcastle otherwise they will lose star players like him next summer.
 
FootballHQ said:
I'm surprised Newcastle haven't had any bids. Guess the top sides are settled for CFs for now (and Arsenal don't have the finances to drop another 100m + this summer) but he needs to be playing year in year out in CL so big season for Newcastle otherwise they will lose star players like him next summer.
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It would take a staggering amount of money to get him out of Newcastle, maybe 120+ million.
 
pcaming said:
It would take a staggering amount of money to get him out of Newcastle, maybe 120+ million.
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Yeah it's a weird benefit for spending quite a lot to sign a player when they live upto it.

It feels like it comes with a statement that "we thought he was worth 75m before he did the business for us. Guess how much we bloody think he's worth now?!"
 
OverratedOpinion said:
Yeah it's a weird benefit for spending quite a lot to sign a player when they live upto it.

It feels like it comes with a statement that "we thought he was worth 75m before he did the business for us. Guess how much we bloody think he's worth now?!"
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We'll be in an excellent position when Antony peaks and the big dogs come sniffing.
 
pcaming said:
It would take a staggering amount of money to get him out of Newcastle, maybe 120+ million.
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This is his 3rd season with them isn't it? So potentially only 2 years left on his deal, could see them forcing him to stay for another 12 months and then around 70ish with a year left which is still a lot
 
P-Nut said:
This is his 3rd season with them isn't it? So potentially only 2 years left on his deal, could see them forcing him to stay for another 12 months and then around 70ish with a year left which is still a lot
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His contract is til 2028 apparently
 
When he signed for Newcastle, I was a bit surprised and dint think he’d make it, as I thought he would struggle with the physical game of PL, but he has really managed to play to his strengths. Impressive!
 
pcaming said:
It would take a staggering amount of money to get him out of Newcastle, maybe 120+ million.
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Did he sign a 5 or 6 year deal when joining? Next summer it might be down to two years so then Newcastle have an issue if they're not in CL.

Oh right 2028.

Arsenal paid 100m for Rice so I could see them coming in next summer with a similar bid if they fall just short again in the league.
 
He's a funny one. I just watched all of his goals from last season, and initially I was thinking how many of them are just easy taps ins and penalties, but as it wore on some really nice finishes started creeping in there. One thing he really has going for him is that he is very, very calm and composed in front of goal. His speed of thought is great too. He seems very willing to take that extra touch to compose himself, but then very quickly pull the trigger with a quick finish. He's very much of the school of picking his spot, rather than going to power. He just calmly gets it under control, creates the angle and puts it in the corner. He never seems rushed in front of goal, which is what you expect to see from a natural striker.

I have to say that looking at him, I am surprised he isn't injured more often. He looks, physically, very fragile. He's very skinny and doesn't have obvious muscle tone. His frame is also quite slender. He doesn't look like a traditional professional athlete where explosive movements are required. But he does seem to sort of glide when he runs, and smoothly stroke the ball when he shoots. There's nothing powerful about his running style and shooting. He looks quite dainty and elegant despite being a tall lad. Someone like Henry was tall and quite slender, but he had obvious muscle tone and a frame; whereas Isak looks almost like a teenager in his physique. I was surprised to see that he is 24.
 
Kane, Haaland...

Possibly Dovbyk as top scorer in la liga, Lautaro Martinez top scorer in Serie A, Guirassy last season but might need a bit longer to know it wasnt a one off although same with Isak, Openda for sure

If we're talking about all round player and not just in terms of them scoring goals then Boniface with his assists as well as goals.

Outside shot that Julian Alvarez is above him too, Atletico seemed to think so with that deal anyway. Guess we'll see

Isak is certainly in the top 10 for last season and as a young player was everything you would look for in your striker prototype. Tall, fast, runs with the ball, can be strong, can play in teammates but the question mark was whether he was really going to be a big goalscorer or just a good player who scores some goals - and 21 in the league is good but its not quite there for me. Maybe next season he gets 25+ nearing the 30 mark

As for the talk about striker quality, thats what happens when you outsource your goals to wingers coming inside. Strikers start to become someone to occupy defenders and create space for the wingers to score goals and there isnt a place that tells you stats on how many times a striker made a good run that drew one or multiple defenders out of the way so another player could have a clean view of goal and put it in the top corner.
 
I really wanted us to sign him in 2021 after seeing him at the Euros. Man I wish we had shrewd people in charge of transfers at United. He's probably a 120m+ player now.
 
Gabriel Djemba-Bebe said:
I really wanted us to sign him in 2021 after seeing him at the Euros. Man I wish we had shrewd people in charge of transfers at United. He's probably a 120m+ player now.
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Should've signed him instead of Antony. This is the kinda dumb decision making that's plagued. We were obsessed with signing a RW because that's what the manager wanted, and let an elite striker go when they're rarely ever available on the market.

Then we desperately hit the market next season and spunked the same amount on a prospect because there were no strikers available the season after.
 
Skills said:
Should've signed him instead of Antony. This is the kinda dumb decision making that's plagued. We were obsessed with signing a RW because that's what the manager wanted, and let an elite striker go when they're rarely ever available on the market.

Then we desperately hit the market next season and spunked the same amount on a prospect because there were no strikers available the season after.
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True. Although in summer 2022, the problem at the time was that we didn't have a RW as Sancho decided he was a LW, Amad wasn't ready to start every game and we still had Ronaldo. I think we should have signed Isak in 2021 instead of Ronaldo.
 
I'm not daft enough to think his head can't be turned, but it would take an extraordinary triple digit bid to land him.
 
He should have been our replacement for Firmino to be honest, I remember wondering why we weren’t looking at him when Newcastle got him. I see very similar traits in him, his press and pounce game on the end of chances and loose balls is strikingly similar to Firmino, but Isak can run behind in better and more often whereas Firmino used to hang back a bit more and bring others into play.
 
Cheech Wizard said:
He should have been our replacement for Firmino to be honest, I remember wondering why we weren’t looking at him when Newcastle got him. I see very similar traits in him, his press and pounce game on the end of chances and loose balls is strikingly similar to Firmino, but Isak can run behind in better and more often whereas Firmino used to hang back a bit more and bring others into play.
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he also knows how to score goals, rather than just have white teeth.
 
Cheech Wizard said:
He should have been our replacement for Firmino to be honest, I remember wondering why we weren’t looking at him when Newcastle got him. I see very similar traits in him, his press and pounce game on the end of chances and loose balls is strikingly similar to Firmino, but Isak can run behind in better and more often whereas Firmino used to hang back a bit more and bring others into play.
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I liked Firmino but come on mate

Isak is a different class to him
 
Always thought he looked a bit frail for this league hence his previous injury record.
Seems to have gotten over that.
Seen he's just come off as Eddie's managing his workload better.
 
Cutch said:
Can't be many strikers out there better than him
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Aye, he's right up there.

If you look at non-penalty goals per 90 over the last few seasons it's very comparable to someone like Osimhen, except Isak is doing it in the PL.

Isak: 0.80, 0.64, 0.47, 0.17, 0.65
Osimhen: 0.75, 0.55, 0.84, 0.64, 0.57

Looking at those numbers, the mystery is where that 0.17 season came from. Only 4 non-penalty goals in 26 starts for Sociedad that season is a hell of an off year given how good he's been otherwise.
 
Cheech Wizard said:
He should have been our replacement for Firmino to be honest, I remember wondering why we weren’t looking at him when Newcastle got him. I see very similar traits in him, his press and pounce game on the end of chances and loose balls is strikingly similar to Firmino, but Isak can run behind in better and more often whereas Firmino used to hang back a bit more and bring others into play.
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That would have been disgusting. I’m glad that didn’t happen. Could still end up at Liverpool though, or Arsenal, as he seems not fully committed to Newcastle and their project.
 
I mean look at this.



That's the kind of prospective talent that should be scouted for. I would love to see what our scouts had said about him at the time.
 
Fortitude said:
I mean look at this.



That's the kind of prospective talent that should be scouted for. I would love to see what our scouts had said about him at the time.
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At the time he had scored something like 10 goals in Spain in his third season with Sociedad.
His first season in the PL he also scored 10 goals, same as Hojlund at the same age.

Im not saying Hojlund will have the same trajectory but it’s a bit annoying that everything is used as a stick to beat the club.

A striker finding his footing at 24/25 years and above (Gyokeres is another good example) is totally normal.
Had Isak joined us instead of Newcastle, he may have had a harder time to adjust and it would have taken more than 1 full season for him to reach this kind of consistency for us.

Same as other players, context is key in their development, perhaps even more than talent. He was allowed to develop in a club where no one cares about his performances. He had space to hone his craft and make mistakes.
 
He's exactly what the team he played against today need
 
Zed is not dead said:
At the time he had scored something like 10 goals in Spain in his third season with Sociedad.
His first season in the PL he also scored 10 goals, same as Hojlund at the same age.

Im not saying Hojlund will have the same trajectory but it’s a bit annoying that everything is used as a stick to beat the club.

A striker finding his footing at 24/25 years and above (Gyokeres is another good example) is totally normal.
Had Isak joined us instead of Newcastle, he may have had a harder time to adjust and it would have taken more than 1 full season for him to reach this kind of consistency for us.

Same as other players, context is key in their development, perhaps even more than talent. He was allowed to develop in a club where no one cares about his performances. He had space to hone his craft and make mistakes.
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It's not the goals that stand out in that vid, rather, the skills and speed everything is being executed at. That's an earmark for 'something special in the future' if there ever was one. Guy looks silky and creative; you expect goals to follow for someone like that, and they have.

Sesko is more the player following this blueprint, developing where nobody really cares about him (sans his clubs' fans), which, as you have said, is the ideal.

I don't think Hojlund ever had a compilation vid that can match the above that earmarks him as someone who will go on to be a special player, tbh. Although I agree there's no real clue as to what he might be in his fully developed state.
 
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