Scout report: What can Newcastle fans expect from Alexander Isak?

Over the last 48 hours, we have seen news break that Newcastle United are close to securing the signing of the Swedish international striker Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad for a fee reported to be in the region of £60M. This move represents the first real signal of intent from Newcastle since the club became one of the richest in the world following their takeover by a Saudi-backed consortium.

While some onlookers felt that we would immediately see the English side acting aggressively in the market we have instead seen a more measured and even intelligent approach to recruitment. This involved deals for the likes of Kieran Trippier, Nick Pope, Bruno Guimaraes and Sven Botman, all players who represented significant upgrades on the players already at the club.

The same measured and intelligent approach can be seen in the coachs dugout. As with player recruitment, there was a sense around the footballing community that Newcastle would look to appoint a name when they parted company with Steve Bruce. Instead, after a relatively in-depth search the club turned to the former Bournemouth and Burnley head coach Eddie Howe. There were many who thought that Howe would act as a placeholder in the job but very quickly the English coach has established Newcastle as a very effective and organised side who look to have the ability to hold their own at Premier League level. This led to the decision to extend Howes contract prior to the start of the 2022/23 Premier League season.

Now, the club are looking to stretch their position with the addition of a true top-level striker and in Isak they may have identified the perfect striker for what they are looking to do as a team, Isak is a modern forward who has the capacity to hold the line and play as a lone striker or to play and interact with teammates as they play through and into the final third. He has the physical stature to succeed in the Premier League but this is coupled with an excellent technical base which makes him a considerable threat with the ball at his feet.

In this tactical analysis, we will use a mixture of data and tactical analysis to assess what Isak could bring to Newcastle.

What does the data tell us about Alexander Isak?

First of all we can use data to assess Isak compared to the regular first choice striker at Newcastle, Calum Wilson. All data at this point is from the 2021/22 season. The data is taken from Wyscout and converted into percentile rankings, which are based on all strikers in their respective leagues, before then being visualised using pizza charts.

When we use data in this manner we can very quickly get an idea of the individual players strenghts and weaknesses compared to another.

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