It’s all about survival was one of the comments Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim made after the 2 – 0 loss against Wolverhampton on “Boxing Day”.
The club with the world’s second highest wage budget is ahead of tonight’s game at home at Old Trafford against Newcastle in 14th place in the Premier League. The Magpies are in flux and have won their last three Premier League games, much thanks to their Swedish super striker Alexander Isak. With four goals in the last three games, the 25-year-old has climbed up to 4th place on the Premier League’s top scorers list with 11 goals.
Today, Manchester United will experience what it is like to meet the Swede up close and personal while at the same time knowing the sticker that Newcastle have put on their dearest possessions.
In form, the Swede is undoubtedly one of the Premier League’s most entertaining and deadly strikers. Skilled, athletic and ruthless in front of goal, Isak is a sight to behold when he is in shape as he is nowadays.
Luckily for Newcastle, he has been very reliable and consistent despite some injury issues since his €70 million transfer from Real Sociedad in 2022. In the previous period, the 25-year-old scored an impressive 25 goals in all competitions, with 21 of those in 30 Premier League appearances.
This season, Isak is scoring at the same rate, and currently boasts 11 goals in 16 games, while also setting up his teammates four times, which is already more assists than he mustered last season.
Not surprisingly, the Premier League’s elite continue to take an interest in the Swede.
Arsenal are in addition to Manchester United known admirers of Isak, with manager Mikel Arteta said to be a big fan of the sharpshooter from Newcastle due to his all-round skills. Chelsea have also been credited with an interest in the past.
In the summer, Newcastle were emphatic in their stance that Isak was not for sale, but heading into 2025 there were some tentative suggestions that the player could be ready for a new challenge.
Transfer insider David Ornstein described the former Magpies star as potentially one to watch in the upcoming summer window. According to The Telegraph, however, Newcastle’s stance has not softened a bit.
Eddie Howe and the company continue to insist that Isak is not for sale, and the outlet reports that they have set a price tag of as much as 180 million euros to ward off potential suitors.
In the event that a club coughs up the money, it will shatter the Premier League’s transfer record, but in an era of elite clubs struggling with the rules of profit and sustainability, Newcastle are right to feel relaxed about the situation, but we all know Paris Saint-Germain always have some extra cash lying around.
It doesn’t get any easier for Manchester United going forward, their first game of the new year is away to league leaders Liverpool at Anfield on January 5 and Arsenal away at the Emirates in the FA Cup on January 12. Not exactly a perfect fixture schedule for a club in dissolution.
