Eddie Howe explains reason for £63m Newcastle United transfer for record-breaking player

Isak’s three strikes at Portman Road took him to 11 goals for the season in all competitions as he continues a brilliant run of form that stretches back to the beginning of last season. The Swedish international has scored 36 goals since the beginning of the 2023/24 campaign and has transformed himself into one of the very best forwards in the world.

Despite committing a club-record £63m to sign Isak back in 2022, he moved to Tyneside as a relatively unknown quantity for the majority of supporters. Asked about what convinced the club to part with such a fee to sign Isak, Eddie Howe responded: “I looked at his game in depth, as I do with every signing because you have to have a vision of where they're going to fit into the team and how they're going to enhance our style of play.

“With Alex, his all-round game, I felt, was really strong so he could do a little bit of everything, as you've seen him do for us, dropping deep to link play, being a creative link between our midfield and our attack, but also bring those stand-out qualities individually where he can make something happen out of nothing.

“I believed he had from that one season where he scored a huge amount of goals in LaLiga - which at such a young age isn't easy to do – that he had to goalscoring prowess to deliver that into the Premier League, albeit there's always a slight question mark because until you see it delivered in the Premier League with the physicality of this league, you never quite know how it transfers.

“That's where I have to give him a huge compliment because he's made that step from the various leagues that he's been in to come to the Premier League. I think he's done really well, he's almost taken everything in his stride.”

Isak’s goals helped Newcastle United to a 7th placed finish in the Premier League last season and whilst he, like many of his teammates, struggled to replicate those heights at the beginning of this season, Isak has now seemingly hit top gear once again.

“I don't think he's surprised me,” Howe continued, “because I really believed – we wouldn't have committed the fee that we did to the transfer if we didn't believe that he could play and do well straight away.

“For that sum of money, I don't think you're looking at a development player, you're looking at a player that you feel can come in straight away and hit the ground running.

“Now, he's done that and he deserves a lot of credit for it because it's not an easy thing to do, to transfer leagues in the way that he has, and I just hope it's a start for him.

“He's had a brilliant couple of seasons for us and he looks like he's hitting his best rhythm now. He's such a valuable player for us."