Newcastle United have surprised everyone with their move to sign Alexander Isak, and even the player himself is shocked.
That’s according to i News, who have provided some insight on what has gone on behind the scenes as the Magpies look to smash their transfer record.
Isak is set to undergo a medical on Tyneside, and will become Eddie Howe’s fourth senior signing of the summer. He will join Matt Targett, Nick Pope and Sven Botman who have also arrived at St James’ Park.
While those deals didn’t come out of the blue (the Botman transfer certainly didn’t), the Isak development has. And it’s caught a lot of people off guard.
Isak surprised by the speed of Newcastle transfer
On Wednesday afternoon, Toon fans were getting set for a League Cup tie with Tranmere Rovers. Then literally out of nowhere news broke that a bid for Isak had been accepted. There hadn’t even been any claims of Newcastle going back in for the Swedish striker.
He had been linked earlier in the summer, but was deemed too expensive.
That’s no longer the case, with Newcastle set to spend an initial £59million to bring the 22-year-old to St James’ Park. 24 hours after a fee was agreed and the player is at the training ground to seal the deal.
This transfer has gone at breakneck speed, and i News claim that it has shocked Isak’s soon-to-be former Real Sociedad teammates. That includes ex-Toon midfielder Mikel Merino.
i News add that Isak himself has been surprised at how quickly this transfer has materialised. They state that he was expecting to end the transfer window as a Real Sociedad player.
That won’t be the case though, as he is on the brink of becoming Newcastle United’s most expensive signing ever.
Dan Ashworth, backed by the owners’ financial muscle, has moved swiftly and efficiently to get this deal done out of absolutely nowhere.
There’s been no drawn out saga in the media or a battle with another club. Newcastle have acted quickly and are about to tie up the biggest deal in the club’s history.
Sociedad’s players are shocked, Isak is shocked, and Toon fans are shocked.