Newcastle United didn't quite hit the mark last season, but mitigating circumstances made it rather hard for Eddie Howe to replicate the feats of the year before.
A seventh-place Premier League finish might've been enough for a place in the Conference League, but Manchester United defeated their city rivals in the FA Cup final and swiped the Magpies' silver.
A frustrating transfer window followed, but the significance of keeping a hold of the top assets cannot be understated. There was interest in Alexander Isak, but he remains at St. James' Park.
Why keeping Alexander Isak was so important
Two years ago, Isak joined Newcastle from Real Sociedad in a club-record signing worth £63m. He endured something of an injury-hit debut campaign but still scored ten goals from just 17 Premier League starts.
1.
Erling Haaland
31
27
2.
Cole Palmer
33
22
3.
Alexander Isak
30
21
5.
Phil Foden
35
19
5.
Ollie Watkins
37
19
5.
Dominic Solanke
38
19
As per FBref, he ranks among the top 14% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for non-penalty goals scored, the top 16% for pass completion and the top 10% for progressive carries per 90, so it's clear to see why he's so well regarded. Indeed, according to CIES Football Observatory's player valuation model, he's valued at £82m currently.
Fabrizio Romano said that he was "untouchable" during the off-season despite a glut of proposals and sniffing around from high-profile suitors, and it's looking like the right decision, for he will be the catalyst to fire Newcastle back into continental competition.
He's extremely prolific – one of the best marksmen in Europe, in fact. However, there's a former Magpies flop who's actually proved to be more clinical than the Swedish sensation.
Joselu's even more clinical than Isak
We're talking about Joselu, who's enjoyed quite the career resurgence since departing St. James' Park way back when. The Spanish striker won La Liga and the Champions League with Real Madrid in May before winning the 2024 European Championship with his nation, defeating England in the final.
Newcastle signed Joselu from Stoke City for £5m in 2017, with Rafa Benitez welcoming his countryman after a middling spell with the Potters that saw him post four goals and three assists over 24 matches.
The nomadic centre-forward, however, flattered to deceive on Tyneside, flopping like a seal and scoring four times across 30 outings, fading into the background after an impressive start – especially so on home turf.
The 34-year-old's second campaign with Newcastle and final year in England proved disastrous, with Joselu notching two goals over the first three games but slumping thereafter, featuring only a few times across the latter half of the season.
It was no surprise when he was sold to Deportivo Alaves for just £2m in 2019. His potent career back in his homeland since has indeed seen him become an unlikely hero for Los Blancos after a prolific few years with Espanyol, scoring 17 goals for Real Madrid last year and notably netting both goals as his side dramatically defeated Bayern Munich in the semi-final of the Champions League.
His exploits have seen him earn a lucrative late-career transfer to Qatar, but according to FBref, the 6 foot 3 ace still ranks among the top 4% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for non-penalty goals scored per 90, at a rate of 0.71.
Isak has bagged at a rate of 0.74 when taking penalties into consideration, but only 0.56 without, speaking highly of Joselu's ball-striking ability.
The older the violin, the sweeter the music. It's a shame that Newcastle couldn't get him playing to their tune.
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