We ‘signed’ Alexander Isak for Newcastle as Eddie Howe found his talisman

Newcastle United are in advanced talks with Real Sociedad over striker Alexander Isak, with the Magpies having been in the market for a forward all summer.

It’s understood that Newcastle have offered a club-record transfer fee of up to £58 million for the Sweden international, and talks are currently ongoing between the two clubs in Spain. Newcastle have been looking to add a new forward to their ranks all summer, but Eddie Howe’s side have had no luck as of yet.

With Callum Wilson’s injury issues, more depth and competition is needed up-front, and it’s believed Isak is the player to do so. The 22-year-old scored in his side’s 4-1 loss to Barcelona last week.

READ MORE: Newcastle United in advanced talks to sign Real Sociedad forward Alexander Isak

So, if Isak was to make the move to Newcastle this season, could the striker help push the Magpies for European contention? Let’s take a look.

We ‘signed’ Alexander Isak for Newcastle

To set up this simulation, we used the Football Manager 2022 editor to arrange for the Swedish forward to join Newcastle this season. We also updated Newcastle with the latest squad and the Premier League with the latest results.

Alexander Isak’s stats from the 2022/23 season with Newcastle United (Image: Football Manager 2022)

Howe threw Isak into the deep end as the Swedish striker became a starter on his arrival, and it worked a treat, with the 22-year-old appearing 41 times in all competitions, averaging a rating of 7.25 per game. In those 41 games, Isak scored an amazing 24 goals, also managing four assists.

62% of Isak’s shots were on target for Newcastle, but most impressively, Isak outscored his expected goals massively, with his xG in all competitions 10.75. 22 of his 24 goals came in the league, and he ended the campaign as Newcastle’s top scorer.

Newcastle’s top scorers from the 2022/23 season (Image: Football Manager 2022)

Allan Saint-Maximin and Bruno Guimaraes both scored seven as the closest scorers to Isak, whilst Guimaraes also registered the highest rating per game and the most assists. Isak and Saint-Maximin both earned the player of the match award four times, whilst no one played more games than the Swedish striker.

At the end of the 2022/23 season, Football Manager 2022 put together an overall best Newcastle XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics. This is what Newcastle’s best XI looked like at the end of the 2022/23 season as predicted by Football Manager 2022:

Newcastle’s best XI from the 2022/23 season (Image: Football Manager 2022)

Full Newcastle best XI (4-3-3): Pope; Trippier, Botman, Schar, Targett; Guimaraes, Shelvey, Joelinton; Fraser, Isak, Saint-Maximin.

As expected, Isak made the Newcastle best XI after his terrific first season at the Magpies, meaning Wilson, Chris Wood and Almiron all missed out on a spot in the front three. Ryan Fraser and Allan Saint-Maximin started on either wing, whilst Fabian Schar partnered Sven Botman in defence.

Newcastle finished seventh in the Premier League (Image: Football Manager 2022)

With the addition of Isak and his goals, Newcastle ended the season in seventh place, meaning they would play in the Europa Conference League for the following season. Howe’s side finished joint on points with Arsenal in sixth, but only missed out on goal difference.

Newcastle had the sixth-best defensive record in the Premier League, conceding just 44 goals in the 38 games. Isak ended the Premier League season as the league’s top scorer, with his 22 league goals higher than Erling Haaland (20) and Mohamed Salah (20).

Newcastle’s results from the cup competitions (Image: Football Manager 2022)

The Magpies found no success in the cups though, exiting both competitions early. A 3-0 loss to Man City knocked Newcastle out of the FA Cup in the fifth round, and a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa ended the Carabao Cup run in the third round.

Overall, FM22 predicts that Isak could be a fantastic fit for Newcastle, with the striker adapting perfectly to the Premier League and scoring 24 goals in his first season at the club. His addition could push the Magpies for a top seven finish, earning Newcastle European qualification for the following season.

Would you like to see Newcastle sign Alexander Isak? Let us know in the comments!

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