The completely different position Alexander Isak used to play which Newcastle are now benefitting from

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Alexander Isak has developed into a complete striker at Newcastle United with almost no weaknesses to his game.

Newcastle United’s super Swede added two more goals to his tally in the 3-1 win over Southampton on Saturday afternoon.

Alexander Isak has now scored 19 goals across all competitions and is just two behind Mohamed Salah in the Premier League Golden Boot race.

Alan Shearer believes Isak is now ‘world-class’ in an exclusive group alongside Salah and Erling Haaland. It is hard to disagree with the Newcastle legend given Isak’s performances this season.

The 25-year-old has proven to be deadly with both feet, in the air and on either wing. Against Southampton, Isak also caused plenty of problems by dropping deep – a trait he picked up at Swedish side AIK.

Alexander Isak used to play in midfield

Newcastle fans have been treated to several world-class forwards over the years, and Isak is right up there among the best. He certainly has a striker’s instinct, but apparently he didn’t always play as a forward when growing up.

According to The Athletic, Isak’s ability to play in deeper areas was honed at AIK’s academy, which he joined as early as six years old. He spent 10 years in the academy before making his first-team debut aged 16.

During his years at AIK, coaches occasionally asked Isak to play in midfield to prevent him from relying on his physical ability.

Peter Wennberg, AIK’s academy’s technical director, explained why that decision was made and how it helped Isak to develop his all-round game.

“He was growing in awareness that he’d become really fast,” Wennberg said. “He’d run deep and complain if he didn’t get it behind the back line.

“We wanted him to gain 360-degree awareness, so we decided to put him in more traffic. It meant he became more involved in the game, put pressure on his first touch, made him contend with more traffic. We saw how he could affect the game in the build-up.”

It has clearly had a big impact on Isak’s style of play, with the Swedish star often dropping deep to link up play with Newcastle’s midfielders. In particular, Isak’s partnership with Jacob Murphy has been the most efficient in the Premier League.

Latest update on Alexander Isak’s future

The narrative around Arsenal’s interest in Isak has been tedious and frustrating for Newcastle fans, but the good news is that the rumours are dying down.

Isak has told Newcastle teammates he wants to stay, and a new contract offer is being prepared for the end of the season.

If Arsenal do still want to try and sign him, they will have to cough up Isak’s £150m asking price that has been set by Newcastle chiefs. If he continues in his current form, that number will continue to grow.

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Newcastle’s contract offer is set to reward his good form this season with Isak also set for a new shirt number if he agrees to the deal.

It will, of course, also come with a significant pay rise as Isak wants to be Newcastle’s top earner. Every single Newcastle fan will argue he’s worth every penny.