Newcastle United sign Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad for €70m rising to €75m

Hello, first post here! Isak is an exciting signing and exactly the kind of signing we should be making right now. Young and lots of potential but not a too big name so our lack of European football and wage limits don't matter. Fee is in my opinion fair considering many recent and upcoming transfers in the PL (Cucurella, Fofana, Gordon, Gibson-White, Casemiro, Antony etc.).

About the questions about why we haven't been spending as much as was expected, I feel like we are really trying to build an image of being tight despite the Saudi riches. FFP plays a part too but Ashley was so cheap that we don't really have to worry about that too much right now. Our commercial income didn't grow at all during the 15 Ashley years so there's a lot of room for growth in near future.

Also found Barcelona fan crying about financial doping hilarious. Ashley was such a cheapskate that we could have probably spend this much even with Ashley as an owner if he had cared about competing instead of doing as little as possible to stay in the league and keep the free advertising machine running. Betis are a nice club with a nice and big stadium but we got 50% higher attendances in the Championship and right now could sell a lot more than 52k per game.

Great performance from you on Monday, it was a rough start for EtH but hopefully he gets given the time he needs.
 
Do Newcastle need a champion CB and LB ? We can sell both for £75m
 
Madness. They'd been so smart, and now this
 
Side note, got to wonder about dressing room harmony. A lot of their pre-takeover players are still regular starters, their contracts must be a fraction of what the new guys are getting paid. I wonder if they're going to be bumping up the contracts of the likes of Wilson, Almiron, Joelinton etc, or if they won't bother as they have earmarked them for replacement soon anyway.
 
L. Robert said:
Hello, first post here! Isak is an exciting signing and exactly the kind of signing we should be making right now. Young and lots of potential but not a too big name so our lack of European football and wage limits don't matter. Fee is in my opinion fair considering many recent and upcoming transfers in the PL (Cucurella, Fofana, Gordon, Gibson-White, Casemiro, Antony etc.).

About the questions about why we haven't been spending as much as was expected, I feel like we are really trying to build an image of being tight despite the Saudi riches. FFP plays a part too but Ashley was so cheap that we don't really have to worry about that too much right now. Our commercial income didn't grow at all during the 15 Ashley years so there's a lot of room for growth in near future.

Also found Barcelona fan crying about financial doping hilarious. Ashley was such a cheapskate that we could have probably spend this much even with Ashley as an owner if he had cared about competing instead of doing as little as possible to stay in the league and keep the free advertising machine running. Betis are a nice club with a nice and big stadium but we got 50% higher attendances in the Championship and right now could sell a lot more than 52k per game.

Great performance from you on Monday, it was a rough start for EtH but hopefully he gets given the time he needs.
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Welcome to the forum.

What I find a little ironic is some Newcastle fans loving the fact that the new owners are now spending big, despite the fact that it was Ashley's frugality in the past 5 years that has allowed you to spend like this! Good to see you realise this!

I think the difference with the fee with Isak, if true, is he isn't a prolific goalscorer and isn't a complete player yet.
The fee for Anthony again if true, is because our manager wants him and knows his game, Ajax know this and are willing to play the game, similar profile of player (young, still learning etc) but different context of deal.
Casemiro is a complete player already.

Isak strikes me as an easy signing, someone who has a name around European football, without really being looked at seriously by the bigger teams, who was easily obtainable by a big team like Newcastle.

Certainly a step up from Wilson and Wood, and maybe if he does reach his potential from a year or so ago could take you another level, however for the money I'd say it is a gamble.
 
Isak will add quality and goals to their team, leaving the money aside. Only Wilson scored more than 5 goals last season, so definitely an area to address.
 
Trequarista10 said:
Side note, got to wonder about dressing room harmony. A lot of their pre-takeover players are still regular starters, their contracts must be a fraction of what the new guys are getting paid. I wonder if they're going to be bumping up the contracts of the likes of Wilson, Almiron, Joelinton etc, or if they won't bother as they have earmarked them for replacement soon anyway.
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A lot of these players know the deal anyway, and will likely be expecting to be sold or released/not have their contract renewed. I can imagine it'll be awkward during this transition period but Newcastle is a different club now and a lot of the subpar players will know they aren't good enough to match Newcastle's new ambitions. Some will no doubt hope to impress the new regime enough to be kept around, but the majority know the score and will probably just want to be told the truth and treated fairly and with respect while they sort their futures out.

At Chelsea, the first year with Ranieri was a mishmash of old and new players but by the summer of 2004, Chelsea let go of a lot of players that had been important prior to the take over - JFH, Petit, Gronkjaer, Zenden etc and by 2005 the only players from prior to the takeover that were still around were players Chelsea actually wanted to keep and offered new contracts to.
 
Champ said:
What I find a little ironic is some Newcastle fans loving the fact that the new owners are now spending big, despite the fact that it was Ashley's frugality in the past 5 years that has allowed you to spend like this! Good to see you realise this!
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You have to know on some level that that was entirely on accident, which is why few fans celebrate his cheapness.

The "frugality" - to put it kindly - was not a "you'll thank me when you're older" kind of parental moment where he was running a barebones operation so that some unknown owner down the line could have free reign. If he could predict the future that well he wouldn't be a cheap tat merchant in the first place. It was never part of some generous master plan of his.

It's hard - from the inside to someone looking in - to describe just how much life sucked under ashley because you don't live it day to day as a fan. I'd never hop on here and defend the Glazers - I mean from the outside it looks like they're not entirely horrible. But I'm sure I miss a thousand sins a day because I don't live in the sphere of man utd. It's really was that way with Ashley too whether anyone wants to accept that or not.

edit: editing this in because i hate double posting
WeePat said:
A lot of these players know the deal anyway, and will likely be expecting to be sold or released/not have their contract renewed. I can imagine it'll be awkward during this transition period but Newcastle is a different club now and a lot of the subpar players will know they aren't good enough to match Newcastle's new ambitions. Some will no doubt hope to impress the new regime enough to be kept around, but the majority know the score and will probably just want to be told the truth and treated fairly and with respect while they sort their futures out.
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This is correct and I think Howe is no nonsense enough to let them know well ahead of time. I also want to point out the majority of the starting XI has already been replaced. We have an entirely new back 5 + Bruno and Isak. ASM and Joelinton are just about the only ones I'd keep starting. Reckon Willock and Almiron's days will be numbered.
 
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L. Robert said:
Betis are a nice club with a nice and big stadium but we got 50% higher attendances in the Championship and right now could sell a lot more than 52k per game.
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You could give attendance figures to say that you have 50% more than Betis?

Isak came from the Real Sociedad in case you meant that.
 
Crashoutcassius said:
I think he is a quality player. Money is nuts but he could play at most of the top clubs I think. I would have liked him here
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A striker who doesn't score goals? Looks like a shit Morata in the making. Still young, though I would never make that gamble at 70m, but Newcastle are in a position to do that so fair play.
 
L. Robert said:
Hello, first post here! Isak is an exciting signing and exactly the kind of signing we should be making right now. Young and lots of potential but not a too big name so our lack of European football and wage limits don't matter. Fee is in my opinion fair considering many recent and upcoming transfers in the PL (Cucurella, Fofana, Gordon, Gibson-White, Casemiro, Antony etc.).

About the questions about why we haven't been spending as much as was expected, I feel like we are really trying to build an image of being tight despite the Saudi riches. FFP plays a part too but Ashley was so cheap that we don't really have to worry about that too much right now. Our commercial income didn't grow at all during the 15 Ashley years so there's a lot of room for growth in near future.

Also found Barcelona fan crying about financial doping hilarious. Ashley was such a cheapskate that we could have probably spend this much even with Ashley as an owner if he had cared about competing instead of doing as little as possible to stay in the league and keep the free advertising machine running. Betis are a nice club with a nice and big stadium but we got 50% higher attendances in the Championship and right now could sell a lot more than 52k per game.

Great performance from you on Monday, it was a rough start for EtH but hopefully he gets given the time he needs.
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Cool username
 
the_box said:
You have to know on some level that that was entirely on accident, which is why few fans celebrate his cheapness.

The "frugality" - to put it kindly - was not a "you'll thank me when you're older" kind of parental moment where he was running a barebones operation so that some unknown owner down the line could have free reign. If he could predict the future that well he wouldn't be a cheap tat merchant in the first place. It was never part of some generous master plan of his.

It's hard - from the inside to someone looking in - to describe just how much life sucked under ashley because you don't live it day to day as a fan. I'd never hop on here and defend the Glazers - I mean from the outside it looks like they're not entirely horrible. But I'm sure I miss a thousand sins a day because I don't live in the sphere of man utd. It's really was that way with Ashley too whether anyone wants to accept that or not.

edit: editing this in because i hate double posting
This is correct and I think Howe is no nonsense enough to let them know well ahead of time. I also want to point out the majority of the starting XI has already been replaced. We have an entirely new back 5 + Bruno and Isak. ASM and Joelinton are just about the only ones I'd keep starting. Reckon Willock and Almiron's days will be numbered.
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I don't doubt that Ashley was a poor owner, in some respects he ran a very tight ship that allowed Newcastle to make a profit even in the harshest of economic environments (pandemic),

But he was 100% doing this as to keep the club attractive for new owners.

He wanted out for years, Newcastle would have been way more difficult to sell had there been no money for the new ownership to spend or indeed debt hanging over the club.

What made the club so attractive to PIF was the fact that it was in a good financial position with minimal investment needed straight away.

Ashley did let Bruce have a bit of cash to spend as well.
 
Champ said:
I don't doubt that Ashley was a poor owner, in some respects he ran a very tight ship that allowed Newcastle to make a profit even in the harshest of economic environments (pandemic),

But he was 100% doing this as to keep the club attractive for new owners.

He wanted out for years, Newcastle would have been way more difficult to sell had there been no money for the new ownership to spend or indeed debt hanging over the club.

What made the club so attractive to PIF was the fact that it was in a good financial position with minimal investment needed straight away.

Ashley did let Bruce have a bit of cash to spend as well.
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He was a homeowner that let his house fall into disrepair. Just because you get it for a bargain doesn't mean you don't still have to spend on the repairs. I can't buy that kind of spin, sorry.

edit: besides, the kind of buyers he was trying to attract weren't going to be sweating any debt. Even Rio had to pull him up about it some time back - "if you're trying to sell your house for 6 years and no one's buying, you need to lower your price". He wasn't desperate to get out. None of the "it was ultimately for the good of the club" explanation really pans out.
 
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the_box said:
He was a homeowner that let his house fall into disrepair. Just because you get it for a bargain doesn't mean you don't still have to spend on the repairs. I can't buy that kind of spin, sorry.

edit: besides, the kind of buyers he was trying to attract weren't going to be sweating any debt. Even Rio had to pull him up about it some time back - "if you're trying to sell your house for 6 years and no one's buying, you need to lower your price". He wasn't desperate to get out. None of the "it was ultimately for the good of the club" explanation really pans out.
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He wasn't selling a house, he was selling a business.
A business that was profitable. Which makes it more desirable than other clubs.

If you want to use a house analogy, it'd be closer to the truth to say PiF had the option of buying a renovated house with a high mortgage which would lead to less equity in the short term and more outgoings (another club) or a house that's a little dated but still in a reasonable state, no mortgage and high equity leading to the ability to do work on it straight away with no extra money spent.

I know what I'd rather. How about you?

He didn't do it for the sake of the club, he done it to line his own pocket, by being able to sell the club for a larger figure, due to being profitable!
 
Trequarista10 said:
Side note, got to wonder about dressing room harmony. A lot of their pre-takeover players are still regular starters, their contracts must be a fraction of what the new guys are getting paid. I wonder if they're going to be bumping up the contracts of the likes of Wilson, Almiron, Joelinton etc, or if they won't bother as they have earmarked them for replacement soon anyway.
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We actually haven't been giving that crazy contracts which has probably been one reason for the trouble in signing players. You can never be sure about sources so this is all 'apparently' but Trippier is on £144k and Bruno £120k followed by Joelinton and Wood £80k. ASM and Joelinton will get a new contract at some point but most of the Ashley-era players around the first eleven are getting old.

The dressing room harmony is the thing I'm most impressed by Howe, he got everyone in the same boat and players that literally everyone had written off contributed to the survival last season. Every single player has improved under Howe and he really takes the mental side seriously.
 
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mu4c_20le said:
A striker who doesn't score goals? Looks like a shit Morata in the making. Still young, though I would never make that gamble at 70m, but Newcastle are in a position to do that so fair play.
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He has 44 in 132 games at soc while being 19-21. Hardly 'doesnt score goals'. He is a hard worker and brings loads more than poaching goals anyway.
 
Isak is a very good player, but he will never be a 70M player. Will do well nonetheless.
 
Champ said:
He wasn't selling a house, he was selling a business.
A business that was profitable. Which makes it more desirable than other clubs.

If you want to use a house analogy, it'd be closer to the truth to say PiF had the option of buying a renovated house with a high mortgage which would lead to less equity in the short term and more outgoings (another club) or a house that's a little dated but still in a reasonable state, no mortgage and high equity leading to the ability to do work on it straight away with no extra money spent.

I know what I'd rather. How about you?

He didn't do it for the sake of the club, he done it to line his own pocket, by being able to sell the club for a larger figure, due to being profitable!
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You're being deceptively generous with the state of the club with the house analogy. Wheelie bin ice-baths. Training facilities out of League II. Constant relegation fears and squad of mostly championship players. Ashley's austerity ran deeper than just an anemic first team. The money might not have been wrapped in the sale price but any owner would have known they'd have to spend a lot just to get going; and we did with the amount we dropped in January on Bruno, Burn, Wood and Trippier, just to salvage the season. So it's to no credit of Ashley's that he saved them money on the purchase price when costly repairs were needed from the off just to keep it from collapsing.

Which is back to my original point though and what you get around to in your last line - it's not "ironic" that the cheapness we hated him for is enabling us to spend happily now. it was purely an accidental byproduct of his own greed.
 
the_box said:
You're being deceptively generous with the state of the club with the house analogy. Wheelie bin ice-baths. Training facilities out of League II. Constant relegation fears and squad of mostly championship players. Ashley's austerity ran deeper than just an anemic first team. The money might not have been wrapped in the sale price but any owner would have known they'd have to spend a lot just to get going; and we did with the amount we dropped in January on Bruno, Burn, Wood and Trippier, just to salvage the season. So it's to no credit of Ashley's that he saved them money on the purchase price when costly repairs were needed from the off just to keep it from collapsing.

Which is back to my original point though and what you get around to in your last line - it's not "ironic" that the cheapness we hated him for is enabling us to spend happily now. it was purely an accidental byproduct of his own greed.
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The ice bath wheelie bins and paddling pool were what 7 years ago, if not more, since then Ashley stumped up the cash to input into your training ground, which is still sub par of course.

And also, Belgium international squad at the time used wheelie bin ice baths, so too did Arsenal,
so too did a lot of premiership football teams if not all, as it was a portable and quick way of using ice baths. Arsenal were using them in 2018/19 for example.

Rugby teams still use them. It's very common place.


So not sure why that's being used to paint a picture here, as it is taken completely out of context.

I'm not here to argue that Ashley was a good owner, he clearly wasn't.

All I am saying, which is true, is his frugality has allowed your owners to spend the way they have spent in the past two windows.
 
mu4c_20le said:
A striker who doesn't score goals? Looks like a shit Morata in the making. Still young, though I would never make that gamble at 70m, but Newcastle are in a position to do that so fair play.
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33 goals in 68.2 90s for La Real in the league, so 0.48 goals per 90 in his La Liga career. Not too bad for a 22 year old in a mid tier team.
 
Looked him up on YT. Kid looks a baller from the clips I saw. Capable of creating chances for himself too with some strong footwork.

Will be interesting to see if he can deliver for Newcastle.
 
First real time I've seen much of him but he looked very good when he came on, one to keep an eye on if Newcastle don't push on from here and buy everybody like their money allows
 
The guy failed at Dortmund. That means he would be a 100% success here.
 
Newcastle/Howe probably need to figure out what type of players they want to play with. Isak’s technically good but not a poacher like Wilson (who’s faded a bit since he came back). Same with ASM vs Gordon vs Whoever plays on the left. They can seem a bit of an outside-element/plaing on their own if not synced with the team’s overall style like Almiron and Bruno G.
 
What's going on with him? Know he has his injuries but he seems to be really out of favour.
 
Assuming his injuries are just unfortunate this year, I’d definitely gamble on him. Doesn’t look like a natural goalscorer and it’s not clear he can play as a solo #9, but he’s got a lot of potential otherwise. Carries the ball well, uses it intelligently, threatens in behind.
 
He is a frustrating player because I feel he has incredible potential if he could put it all together. Feels like a player that could randomly explode under the right coach, he has the skills to be a world beater but I wonder where that will be and if it will ever happen?
 
groovyalbert said:
What's going on with him? Know he has his injuries but he seems to be really out of favour.
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As a no.9. Callum Wilson is probably just a more reliable goal scorer. Not sure Wilson can be be taken out the team when fit so the question is whether they change formation or he plays wide.
 
I don't think he looked good at all.

When he gets the ball, he doesn't seem to have any idea what he wants to do next.
 
Very frustrating because he's so talented and technically proficient but he needs to improve his finishing.
 
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