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Alexander Isak scored 21 goals in just his second Premier League campaign, finishing the campaign with the third-highest number of goals out of any player in the league.

Isak signed for the Magpies from Real Sociedad in the summer of 2022 for a fee in the region of £63million, making him the most expensive player in the club's history and has been marked as one of the biggest player profiles to be signed since the Saudi Arabian takeover in October 2021.

This signing came after Eddie Howe managed to secure Newcastle their Premier League status for the following season, quite comfortably, after taking over when they were 19th in the table before Christmas in the 21/22 campaign.

• What can Isak offer?

At only 24 years old, there is no doubt that the future is bright for Isak. His blistering pace, 6 feet 4-inch frame and general presence make him an extremely difficult figure to handle for Premier League defenders.

Accumulating over 22 xG throughout the season suggests that he is in the right areas to put chances away, but perhaps needs to be a little more clinical to establish himself with the best centre-forwards in world football.

However, his manager, teammates and fans have no doubt seen glimpses in the last two seasons that the striker is destined to be one of the best around in years to come.

Some of Isak’s most notable games last season came against Aston Villa at home (two goals on the opening day in a 5-1 win), West Ham at St James’ Park (two goals and an assist in a 4-3 win) and a victory that was close to the Geordies hearts, a 3-0 win in the FA Cup at bitter-rivals Sunderland, a game in which Isak helped himself to two goals at the Stadium of Light and ignited the song which goes “Who put the ball in the Mackem’s net?, Alexander Isak!”.

• Eddie Howe’s thoughts

After being asked by the media whether Isak is world-class at the end of April after netting twice against Sheffield United, Eddie Howe stated:

“I think he is. I’m not overly analysing every striker in world football to be honest, I’m focusing very much on my team and so I probably wouldn’t be the best person qualified to give that opinion, but, for me the biggest thing is: Would I swap him with anybody else? No, I wouldn’t.”

“You look at his age profile and what’s to come, you look at his attributes and his quality and he’s some talent. I think it’s a great thing to watch him play, currently.”

• Interest in Isak

Due to the fact that Isak was 3rd place in the Premier League Golden Boot race in 23/24, there has been interest from other clubs in Europe for the Swedish international’s services. The strongest of links earlier in the window was Arsenal, who have their eyes set on a new centre-forward.

However, within the last few weeks, the Gunners pursuit had ended abruptly due to the rumoured asking price being in the region of £ 180 million.

Isak looks set to stay in the Northeast of England and will be hoping to fire Newcastle back into the European places in the Premier League table after missing out in the 23/24 season as seventh place finish didn’t qualify for the UEFA Europa Conference League after Manchester United won the FA Cup).

There were several games where we saw him form an excellent partnership with Anthony Gordon last campaign, but equally, Isak was comfortable out on the left-hand side in Gordon’s absence at times.

The 24-year-old is tall, fast and has great awareness of what is around him, meaning that he is effective at holding off defenders using his physicality and bringing his teammates into play, while also posing a threat to centre-backs when trying to run in behind.

It’s no secret that Isak prefers playing centrally, and with talented players around him such as Gordon, Wilson, Bruno Guimaraes and the returning Tonali, there is every belief that Newcastle can mount a European charge in 24/25. It’s an exciting time for those involved within the club.