What made Eddie Howe think ‘oh dear’ about Alexander Isak when he first joined Newcastle United

Add as preferred source on Google

Newcastle United rarely miss in the transfer market.

Indeed, even when signings do not instantly hit the ground running, the coherent way in which Newcastle recruit players usually works out.

Take Lewis Hall, for example.

The defender initially struggled for game time under Eddie Howe last season but has since turned things around to emerge as one of the club’s leading lights in what is looking like a successful campaign.

Sandro Tonali may have taken a while to get going for very different reasons but now looks an elite central midfielder and a player key in Newcastle’s recent rise.

Even Anthony Gordon needed a few months to settle before emerging as a key player last season.

Any signing – particularly at Premier League level given the finances involved – brings an element of risk.

Luckily, those in charge of recruitment at St James’ Park have largely got things right.

The Newcastle United manager has previously admitted that splashing a club-record £63m on Alexander Isak was a risk but, clearly, it’s worked out. And then some.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup clash with Bromley, Howe opened up a touch more too.

READ MORE: Who is Alexander Isak? Age, Height, Family, Nationality, Roots

Eddie Howe admits Alexander Isak’s price tag shocked him

Asked if the money involved in signing the Swedish international from Real Sociedad in the summer of 2022 initially shocked him, Howe said: “The transfer fee is always a difficult one because if you look at the fee alone, for me, especially with my background, you think: ‘Oh dear’.

“You are not sure you can commit to that because it is such a lot of money. But then when you look at the quality of the player and what he can do, what he can bring, I had no doubts.

“Of course, you wonder what he might be like as he has not played in the Premier League; there will always have to be some question marks he has to answer.

“But I had very few about the player. I thought he was outstanding.”

How much is Newcastle United star Alexander Isak worth now?

An awful lot of money is the simple answer.

Under contract until the summer of 2028, Newcastle are seemingly under no immediate pressure to sell their star forward.

In fact, recent reports from The Daily Mail suggest that Arsenal simply won’t be able to afford him this summer as it would take a British transfer record to land him.

That currently stands at the £115million Chelsea paid for Moises Caicedo in the summer of 2023…