Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta commented on the performance of Newcastle striker Alexander Isak following a 2-0 defeat at St James’ Park last night.
The Gunners were trailing 2-0 after the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final at the Emirates Stadium and they had a huge challenge to overturn the deficit.
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The London giants failed to do so after a lacklustre performance on the road. Isak had a brilliant outing for the Magpies despite not finding the back of the net.
The Swede scored after just four minutes on the clock from a splendid counter-attack, but VAR chalked off his goal as he was marginally offside in the lead-up.
However, the 25-year-old eventually contributed. Isak got behind William Saliba to unleash a strike on goal. His effort hit the woodwork, but Jacob Murphy scored off the rebound.
Speaking after the game, Arteta was reluctant to evaluate Isak’s showing but highlighted the two occasions when the striker was through on goal for the Magpies.
He said: “I’m not here to evaluate opposition players, but it’s clear that he had two actions to finish, and you know what happened.”
Isak has had a fantastic season for the Tyneside outfit with 19 goals and five assists in all competitions.
He has only four goal contributions more than Arsenal’s Kai Havertz but provides much more in an attacking sense with his pace, dribbling skills and clever movement.
The ex-Real Sociedad man dominated proceedings against Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes yesterday. The former could not cope with the Swede’s intelligent runs behind him.
Arsenal need to spend on a marquee centre-forward during the summer transfer window. It appears a no-brainer to break the bank on Isak instead of pursuing a striker from abroad.
RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko is one of the top names on the Gunners’ radar, but Isak would be a perfect acquisition. He has vast Premier League experience and is in the prime of his career.
