Alexander Isak makes 'best in the world' claim as Newcastle United consider £1bn St James' Park move

Isak has spent the past two-and-a-half years at Newcastle and has already been involved in some iconic matches at St James’ Park. The striker started The Magpies’ memorable 4-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League back in October 2023 and scored twice in the 6-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur during the 2022-23 season.

Just last week, Isak was involved in Newcastle’s 2-0 win over Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semi-final to secure a Wembley date with Liverpool on March 16.

The 25-year-old has experienced some of the most iconic grounds in world football having played for Borussia Dortmund at the Signal Iduna Park. During his time at Real Sociedad, he came up against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu and Barcelona at Camp Nou.

With plenty of experience playing in some of the best stadiums across Europe, Isak told the Adopted Geordies podcast what it’s like to play at St James’ Park.

“It’s amazing,” he admitted. “It’s certainly up there with the best in the world. For me, it’s the best in England and it’s extra special to be on the right side of the stadium.”

Isak joined Newcastle from Sociedad for a club record fee of £63million back in 2022, but admitted he didn’t know ‘too much’ about the club prior to joining.

“My general football knowledge is not very high,” he explained. “Growing up, I wasn’t a football nerd. I just liked playing. But Newcastle have always been a classic club, especially in Sweden, that you would be aware of.

“Personally, I would lie if I knew too much but I didn’t know too much about [Newcastle].”

Newcastle United’s St James’ Park plans set to be unveiled

The narrative surrounding St James’ Park is particularly prevalent as the club prepares to make a decision over the future of its home stadium. Newcastle’s chief operating officer Brad Miller told supporters to expect an update in early 2025.

While various locations and solutions have been discussed, The Gazette understands a decision is still yet to be made. Any major stadium rebuild or redevelopment decision is likely to cost the club upwards of £1billion.

And, like Isak, Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe could only speak very highly of the club’s current home.

“I'm sure for a lot of people watching that game, not connected with Newcastle, they'll be thinking 'wow' you know, what an atmosphere, what an environment to play in,” Howe said after the win against Arsenal last week.

“But of course there's other challenges and other things that we now need to look at as a football club and try to improve. Various things as we've said before about the importance of our income.

“So it is a really delicately poised decision and of course I'm not making that decision which is quite a relief, really, for me. I can blame it on someone else. But I think it just goes to showcase what a special place at James's Park is.”