Alexander Isak makes his point right in front of Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta
Arsenal only had one shot on target in their 1-0 loss to Newcastle as they struggled to even create opportunities - let alone score them - while the Magpies showed what a superb talent they have up front in Alexander Isak
by Oli Gamp · The MirrorAlexander Isak scored the winner for Newcastle against Arsenal on Saturday - months after Mikel Arteta's men were linked with the Swedish forward - as the Gunners' lack of firepower was laid bare.
Arsenal fired a blank in their 1-0 loss at St James' Park as their title hopes were dealt another blow - being guilty of a big miss late on through Declan Rice. The North Londoners only had one shot on target as they struggled to even create opportunities - let alone score them - while Newcastle showed what a superb talent they have up front in Isak.
Isak - who netted 25 times for the Magpies last season - took his goal superbly well as he powered home a header from Anthony Gordon's cross. He now has 12 goals in his last 12 matches at St James' Park, with Arteta left to rue Arsenal's failure to bring him in over the summer.
Isak was one of many forward targets linked with Arsenal in the last transfer window - with mooted transfers for Ivan Toney, Ollie Watkins and Victor Osimhen failing to come to fruition.
Arteta instead opted to keep faith with his existing forwards Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz - though the club's need for a traditional No 9 this season has been glaring.
There have been reports Isak could leave Newcastle in the near future - with the club's Saudi owners said to be lessening their funding of foreign assets - though manager Eddie Howe said he was not worried about the prospect of losing his star forward.
"Alex’s got a long contract anyway and we have to be really careful regarding our spending due to PSR. We love him and are desperate for him to stay at Newcastle for many years and score loads and loads of goals for us, but I don’t see a short-term issue with his contract.
"Absolutely, there will be ongoing talks, but Alex can only help his situation by playing well. He is an outstanding talent, really good with the ball, really intelligent and a deadly goalscorer when he is at his absolute best.
Isak has scored 38 goals in total from 76 outings for Newcastle since being snapped up for a reported fee of £63million from Real Sociedad in 2022.
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