Alexander Isak is proving his critics wrong.
Following another top performance against Aston Villa on the Premier League’s opening weekend, Isak, 23, once again proved decisive in the Magpies’ success.
After joining from Real Sociedad last summer in a club-record deal worth a whopping £63 million (Sky Sports), Isak quickly became the topic of much debate. Questions over whether or not the Swede can replicate some of the club’s former legends, such as Alan Shearer, Les Ferdinand, Andy Cole, and most recently Demba Ba, were asked almost instantly.
And although many Magpies’ fans will argue they have always believed the Sweden international has what it takes to play in the club’s most iconic position, one person who was far less confident was former Aston Villa attacker Stan Collymore.
What has Stan Collymore said about Alexander Isak?
And having his say on what fans could expect from their new number 14, Collymore, who wrote in his exclusive column last season, said: “I’m not convinced either of them [Isak and Callum Wilson] are good enough to lead the Magpies’ attack on their own. They both have their own attributes to offer, but I’m just not sure either player is the type to wear the iconic number nine shirt and bag 20-plus goals a season.”
However, following the former La Liga star’s performance last weekend, which saw him net an opening-day brace during a 5-1 home win, Collymore has been forced to backtrack on his earlier criticism.
“I went on record last season and questioned Alexander Isak’s ability to be Newcastle’s main striker. I didn’t think he has the physicality required to be the Magpies’ lone striker but he certainly proved me wrong on Game Week One,” he said in an exclusive interview.
“He is very lean and I would still like to see him bulk up a bit, and it will be interesting to see how much the Champions League group stage takes out of him.
“Can he come back from mid-week European games and cope with the notoriously tough away fixtures the Premier League has to offer? – I’m not sure. We will have to wait and see, but like I say, I was really impressed with him last weekend and if I were Howe, I would be expecting 20 Premier League goals this season because I think that could now be a realistic milestone for the Sweden international to reach.”
How many goals do you think Isak will score this season? – Drop your predictions in the comments below.