Alexander Isak has long been a target for Arsenal having starred for Newcastle since his arrival from Real Sociedad, though Alan Shearer believes the Magpies can keep hold of the striker
Alan Shearer has insisted Newcastle should rebuff Arsenal’s attempts to sign Alexander Isak.
The Swedish striker has been a key man for the Magpies this season and capped a man of the match performance by scoring against the Gunners in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg.
That was the 25-year-old’s 15th goal of the campaign and he also laid on the assist for Anthony Gordon’s strike. His performances have helped Newcastle to recover from a tough start to climb to fifth in the Premier League.
Isak has also caught the attention of several top teams, with Arsenal having long been linked with a move for him. But Shearer has now urged Newcastle chiefs to turn down any bid for him, even if the Gunners offer £150million.
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“No, is the answer,” Shearer told The Rest is Football. “Who are they gonna go out and get that would come into Newcastle and do a similar job? We know that centre forward is the most important position.
“He’s one of the reasons they’re sitting in fifth and in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup. You could go out and spend £50-60m on another striker but who? What? Where. They are really difficult to find.
“So when you’ve got a b***** good one, why do you want to let him go for any price? If they’ve got to sell for PSR (Profit and Sustainability rules) reasons, there would be other players I’d sell before I’d sell Isak for £150m.”
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Isak also netted the winner when Arsenal travelled to St James’ Park in the Premier League in November. And he made a further statement with his display on Tuesday, one which delighted boss Eddie Howe.
“First half he was electric and I thought he played really well. He scored and his general game was in a really good place. He was feeling his hamstring a bit at half-time so we had to manage him in the second half and that was a big blow to our performance,” he told ITV.
“I think we rode our luck at times and I think Martin [Dubravka] played really well and made some really good saves. For the set-plays, in the main, we got the small details right. Our mentality to defend our goal with the blocked shots.
“The heroic pieces of defending that we saw in the last 20 to 30 minutes… it’s great for us for the future. Very pleased with the players. It was a tough game for us in many respects. We had players struggling at half-time. Really pleased with how we played.”
It is unknown if Isak will be rested for Sunday’s FA Cup clash with League Two Bromley. But he will certainly be looking to add to his tally when Newcastle host struggling Wolves next Wednesday.
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