Premier League Golden Boot: Why Newcastle's Isak can dethrone Haaland
“For me, I think the biggest thing is would I swap him with anybody else? No, I wouldn’t.” It makes a nice soundbite and stretched pleasantries are often involved when a head coach talks about his player. But there is more than just a little bit of credence to what Eddie Howe said of his star striker at the end of last season.
Is there really any complete striker better than Alexander Isak right now?
The Sweden international remains Newcastle’s club-record transfer, arriving from Real Sociedad for €70 million in 2022. Like most big signings, there were question marks around the purchase at the time. In Spain, he enjoyed a fine 2020/21 campaign, netting 17 La Liga goals for the Txuriurdin. But the season prior to his move to St James’ Park, he scored just six.
Injuries plagued the start of his time at Newcastle before he finally started to get up and running. But it wasn’t until April of his inaugural campaign, in a game against Everton, that something started to click—perhaps, this wasn’t just any old, run-of-the-mill, 20-goal-a-season striker?
In what’s been relayed time again on social media, Isak picked up the ball on the halfway line, dribbling past several Toffees players—some of them twice—before giving winger Jacob Murphy probably the easiest goal he’s ever likely to score.
Last season, Isak propelled that notion further, with his 25 goals in all competitions being almost a marginal facet to his exceptional campaign.
But is it enough to dethrone Erling Haaland as the best in the Premier League?
Alexander Isak Transfer Value - how much is he worth now?
According to FootballTransfers' Player Valuation Model, Isak has a current Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €71.7m, which makes him the most valuable Swedish player in the world.
The value near enough matches the €70m paid for him by Newcastle in 2022.
Alexander Isak - is he the most complete striker playing today?
There are not many players in the world today more under-appreciated than Haaland. He scored 38 goals last season in all competitions, more than any of his Premier League counterparts but remarkably still 14 less than his previous campaign’s total of 52.
Manchester City’s all-time goalscorer, Sergio Aguero, bested just 33 for the Cityzens in his 10 seasons at the Etihad. But when we talk about the Norwegian, it’s always with the caveat that he plays in a Pep Guardiola side.
Last season, the Premier League champions' xG (2.35 per match) was not far off Newcastle’s (2.22). While this is a rough estimate of the scoring chances created for each team, it challenges the notion that Manchester City's players—whether through their own efforts or otherwise—are given significantly more opportunities to score than those at Newcastle.
Haaland’s non-penalty goals per 0.90 stands at 0.61. Isak is a step behind at 0.54, even though the Man City man fires off a higher volume of shots. Meanwhile, their WhoScored ratings from last season were 7.40 and 7.14 respectively.
Considering all this, it's fair to conclude that Haaland is more clinical in front of goal than Isak, though perhaps not by as much as some might think.
But, of course, today’s game isn’t all about shooting: coaches want defenders who can pass, wingers who can tackle, and goalkeepers who can take penalties.
Isak enjoys considerable freedom under Howe's management. The striker often drops back to recover the ball from the wing, creating space for inside forwards to charge into the box. He also excels at dribbling, creating chances, and generating shot opportunities from wide areas. In fact, Howe has previously deployed him on the wing, where he has performed well, though not as effectively as when playing as a central striker.
This versatility might make Isak more appealing to some than Haaland, particularly for any elite sides that may wish to buy an elite No 9 in the next year or after. Haaland hasn’t been given the chance to operate in a similar manner to what he did at Borussia Dortmund under Marco Rose. At Man City, there is a degree of single-functionality to his role. But, to be honest, the raw technical talent of Isak means he wouldn’t make up for the Swede’s versatility even if he wanted to.
This article was provided by FootballTransfers
