Newcastle United are close to signing highly-rated Real Sociedad striker Alexander Isak – but how do his numbers compare with the strikers currently at Eddie Howe’s disposal?
A £59million fee has been agreed, which could potentially rise to £63million, which smashes Newcastle’s current transfer record.
Newcastle had all but abandoned hope of signing Isak this summer but the hamstring injury suffered by their principal striker, Callum Wilson, during their draw against Manchester City meant signing another goalscorer was imperative.
And Howe will be delighted about Isak’s arrival at St James’ Park. He’s scored 44 goals in 132 appearances for Real Sociedad since arriving from Borussia Dortmund three years ago and has won 37 caps for his country.
He was coveted by Arsenal, Everton and Juventus this summer but the 22-year-old was keen to join Newcastle in a move that’s got the Toon Army incredibly excited.
While Isak will go straight into the Newcastle squad when he becomes available, we were interested to know whether his numbers support the feeling that the Sweden international represents an upgrade on Howe’s current strikers.
So we’ve compared Isak’s La Liga stats during the 2021-22 season with the corresponding Premier League numbers of Wilson and Wood to answer that question.
Note: we only included Wood’s stats after his move to Newcastle in January 2022.
Goals
Callum Wilson – 8
Alexander Isak – 6
Chris Wood – 2
Assists
Alexander Isak – 2
Callum Wilson – 0
Chris Wood – 0
Alexander Isak equalises for Real Sociedad after Frenkie de Jong gets caught in possession! 🔵⚪
What a start to this game! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/biO44zUhXp
— Premier Sports (@PremierSportsTV) August 21, 2022
Minutes per goal
Callum Wilson – 174.4
Alexander Isak – 359.5
Chris Wood – 664
Minutes per goal or assist
Callum Wilson – 174.4
Alexander Isak – 269.6
Chris Wood – 664
Chances created per 90mins
Alexander Isak – 0.8
Chris Wood – 0.7
Callum Wilson – 0.6
Successful dribbles per 90 minutes (success rate)
Alexander Isak – 1.8 (50%)
Callum Wilson – 0.6 (42.9%)
Chris Wood – 0.1 (14.3%)
READ: The art of goal scoring: A tribute to Ba and Cisse’s time at Newcastle
Passes per 90 minutes (passing accuracy)
Chris Wood – 21.8 (52.5%)
Alexander Isak – 17.4 (74.3%)
Callum Wilson – 9.7 (68.2%)
Shots per 90 minutes (inside the penalty area)
Alexander Isak – 3.0 (2.3)
Callum Wilson – 2.3 (1.9)
Chris Wood – 1.4 (1.3)
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