Thread by @nufcsanjay

THREAD🧵: Alexander Isak - Newcastle United's Phenomenal New Forward

#NUFC are about to smash their transfer record, with the 22 year-old striker on the verge of signing for around £58m. Why's he so highly rated, and why have the club chosen to make him our marquee signing? 🇸🇪

Firstly, wow - what a huge signing, and a massive statement of intent. After years of austerity at #NUFC, bringing in a young striker who’s been courted by most of the top clubs in world football and was one of the breakout stars at Euro 2020, for £58m, is not what we’re used to.

Alexander Isak spent his teenage years widely recognised as a “wonderkid”, starting out at Swedish side AIK, before moving to Borussia Dortmund.

Real Sociedad snapped him up in 2019, where he’s had 3 fairly successful season on the whole (20/21 in particular).

Isak is a unique striker - a target man, a runner and a technician rolled into one. He’s a strong ball carrier, has quick feet, and is sharp across the turf despite standing at 6”4. He’s skilled at connecting midfield to attack, and tends to be very fluid positionally.

His link-up play is solid for a striker of his age, and it stems from his technical ability. He’s always willing and intelligent enough to drift into the half-spaces in build-up, to receive the ball, withstand pressure and lay it off to a teammate.

You can fire long balls into his body to hold up, and using his gangly physique and sharp close control, he’ll often do it.

Similarly, Isak is great at picking up loose balls - he’s a striker who can feed off scraps, and can make things happen out of nothing.

When he has space to drive into, Isak is a direct and tricky dribbler, especially when he finds himself 1v1 in wide areas, and he's so difficult to stop.

He times his actions so well to draw defenders in, before jinking away using his turn of pace, even when in tight spaces.

Judging by the profile of forwards we’ve been after all summer, Howe wants a striker who can carry the ball from deep areas. Isak fits the bill in that respect (94th percentile for progressive carries), and there aren’t many CFs who can dribble better than Isak.

Hence, not only is Isak useful in sustained periods of possession, but he’s also a big threat in transitions, which suits #NUFC to a tee. His decent weight of pass and smart movement in behind facilitates this too.

He’s excellent at waiting on the blindside of defenders before darting in behind, and his sharp acceleration allows him to get on the end of passes more often than not. His movement in the 18-yard box could improve, but this will come with experience.

A classic manoeuvre of Isak is to dummy the ball when it's played into his feet if there's space in behind, often getting the better of the defender. From here, he's got a good chance of winning the race and getting to the ball first.

Isak averages a fairly impressive 2.96 shots per 90, which is certainly an encouraging sign. A big part of this is his ability to generate shooting opportunities by himself.

This is one of the most underrated attributes in forwards, and it’s something the Swede possesses.

Through his close control and intelligence to read defenders, he’s consistently able to find himself half a yard to get a shot off. Similarly, he’s able to sort his feet out quickly and pick the right moment to pull the trigger.

Isak possesses a variety of finishes too, and he strikes the ball really well. He’s able to score from range, gets on the end of crosses, can score on either foot, and is inventive in his finishing in 1v1 situations.

He’s a player that oozes composure in the area. He plays like he has all the time in the world, and it’s the mark of a footballer who’s super-talented.

This assist for Sweden is something I love - extra-time in a World Cup qualifier playoff final, and not an ounce of panic.

The elephant in the room however, is his goal record last season, and it needs explaining. He scored 4 non-penalty goals in 23.8 90s, which is underwhelming for someone costing us so much. The truth is that it was a mix of occasional sub-par finishing, bad luck, and variance.

He scored 4 non-penalty goals from 8.6 npxG last season, hitting the woodwork 4 times, and it’s extremely unlikely that such an underperformance will continue. @Edit_Kev’s thread on him explains his 21/22 goal record excellently.

Out of possession, Isak is showing improvements in his willingness to help the team. He’s still not the most intense presser, as partly illustrated by his defensive numbers from last season, but it’s a part of his game he’s trying to improve, and Howe will further encourage that.

🗣️“The coach wants me to be a modern striker, to press a lot and work hard without the ball, and then once we have it there are no boundaries”

- Alexander Isak, 2021 (The Independent)

The aim with Alexander Isak is that he’ll become our no. 9 for many years to come, and hopefully one of the best forwards in the PL. Howe will likely ease him in, but with Wilson’s latest injury, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him starting fairly soon. #NUFC

Given his skillset, there’s also potential for him to play out wide on occasions with Wilson leading the line, should Howe ever want to have both of them in the same team. #NUFC

Isak has potential to be one of the best CFs in the world, but like any signing, he deserves time.

He had a relatively difficult season in 21/22, and we’ve got to be patient with him. I’ve got no doubts that he’ll adapt to the PL, but it remains to be seen how long this takes.

Alexander Isak is about the become #NUFC's record signing, and it’s probably the most exciting coup in the club’s history.

A player with his potential and skillset would be desirable for any club in the world. It's another huge stride forward for this new-look Newcastle United.