The goals are coming again for Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, but could the Magpies soon be fighting to keep him at St James’ Park?
The 25-year-old Swedish striker scored for the fourth time in four matches to help his side come back beat Nottingham Forest 3-1 on Sunday, and his overall performance impressed former Arsenal striker Theo Walcott, who was watching BBC MOTD2.
“When you talk about the mold for the ultimate build of a perfect striker, Isak has all of those elements,” Walcott told BBC Sport.
“I’m not saying he’s perfect yet, but he has all the attributes he needs to become perfect.
“I don’t know if it’ll happen at Newcastle. But they need to tie him up pretty quickly or they’ll lose him.
“Isak is the kind of player Arsenal really need, but it seems like everyone needs a player like him in their team at the moment, even Liverpool, and it’s not just Premier League teams who will try to get their hands on it.
“Look at the roster at Real Madrid right now. They’re going for these Galacticos and buying these incredible talents, but sometimes they put them in positions where they can’t really do it.
“I would say if you put Isak in this Real team, he shapes them together in a different way, where you might think they now look like a very well-balanced team.
“That’s the level he’s at, and I can totally understand why all the really big teams would want him.
“As well as his all-round attacking play, he also scores goals – all sorts of different goals. As I said on MOTD2, his finish against Forest when the ball fell to him in the box was pure class, after the brilliant header he beat Arsenal last week.
“There’s still more to come from him. Newcastle are a good team, but put him in a better team and he’ll improve too.”
“This generation is Thierry Henry”
Isak scored 25 goals for the Magpies last season, but has started the new campaign more slowly and scored just once in his first seven appearances, before his current purple patch.
Sunday’s match had been billed as a battle between in-form attackers, with the Chris Wood also on a good series of goalsbut Walcott believes Isak deserves comparisons with more illustrious names than the 6ft 3in New Zealand target man.
“Wood’s role for Forest is based on his strengths, occupying the centre-halves as a high-flyer and brushing aside any chances the wingers give him in the box,” he explained.
“He is extremely effective if you do him that favor, and he has had a very good season, but you can silence him by stopping his supply like Newcastle did.
“Isak is much more of a versatile player, who can delay the game like Wood does, but also poses different problems for the central defenders. He has pace, as well as a physical presence, and he is calm on the ball. and his energy levels also allow him to press.
“He’s the type of player who doesn’t get bored on the pitch, and that makes him harder to stop. There are some players who can sometimes think, ‘I’m not getting the ball and I can’t stop.’ involve’ and they change disabled.
“With Isak, he can adapt. He might think ‘OK, it’s not working for me as a number nine at the moment’, so he’ll drop deep to play as a 10, or come out on the wing and Anthony Gordon can come in. He’s comfortable anywhere on the field.
“The ability to rotate positions and occupy all frontline roles is part of what makes him a constant threat. As a player he is something quite unique in the Premier League at the moment, and for me he is the closest thing we have seen to another Thierry Henry.
“Henry started out wide, so he knew that role very well, and Isak’s pace and strength means he’s excellent in those areas too. But where Henry wasn’t particularly good was back to back goal, or with the head, and Isak can head it – the perfect example of this was his winning goal against Arsenal last week.
“I’d say he’s this generation’s Henry, but with some added attributes thrown in. That’s who I’d compare him to from my era, anyway.
“His game makes him a mix of Didier Drogba, Michael Owen and Henry – oh and with a hint of Theo Walcott’s pace. It’s not a bad mix at all, is it?”
‘If Arsenal want it, they have to be quick’
Isak, who joined Newcastle from Real Sociedad for £63m in August 2022, is under contract until 2028 but has reportedly attracted interest from clubs like Arsenal and Chelsea in recent months.
Walcott believes the Gunners would benefit from the variety he brings to Newcastle’s attack and would like to see him join Martin Odegaard for his former side.
“Central defenders can become very comfortable,” Walcott said. “They now understand how to tackle a three-man setup, for example when you have your standard wingers who might like to cut inside, and then a number nine who wants to keep the ball – and that’s it.
“What you want to see is players thinking about how to test defenders in a different way, so they know they can’t relax for a second.
“Looking at Arsenal, they are not one-dimensional but their attacks can be a bit predictable at times.
“Imagine them having the option of a player like Isak who can really do everything, and then putting Odegaard, for example, behind him.
“Kai Havertz has been brilliant leading the line, to a point, but we are talking about Arsenal struggling to win the league, and they need that next level of player to do that.
“Isak would be, at any club, but if Arsenal want him, then they need to get in there quickly, because Real Madrid, or someone like that, will come knocking, and his price will only go up .”
