Arsenal’s pursuit of a striker during the January transfer window may take them to the North East, where Alexander Isak of Newcastle has a unique relationship with the team’s captain.
The striker that Arsenal has been searching for since January may be found in Alexander Isak, and Martin Odegaard may be the key to completing what could be the largest Premier League acquisition of the summer window.
Mikel Arteta’s team is back in the running for the Premier League title after coming up short the previous year. The Gunners, who are currently fifth in the league and five points behind leaders Liverpool, are in a strong position to challenge for the crown again, but they must first address a pressing issue.
Arsenal leads all teams in the Premier League in goals scored, and none of their forwards have yet to reach double figures for the current campaign. This has prompted significant demands to bring a prolific striker to the Emirates Stadium this month, and Alexander Isak is one of the names being mentioned as a possible possibility.
This season, the Newcastle United shooter has scored 14 goals throughout all competitions and tallied 10 goals in the Premier League. It makes sense that the Magpies wouldn’t want to part with one of their best players, but there are other considerations.
The North East team needs to sell some players to help balance the books after posting an operational loss of £155 million over the previous three seasons. Selling Isak would almost definitely go a great way toward easing their financial situation. There would be no shortage of interested parties for the Swedish international, but Arsenal has a secret weapon at their disposal.
More than most, club captain Odegaard is familiar with Isak. The two were Real Sociedad teammates in the Covid-affected 2019–20 La Liga season. That season, Sociedad advanced to the Copa del Ray final, but the pandemic forced a postponement. Odegaard made an impression in Spain, and the next season he was able to secure a second loan move to Arsenal before making the switch permanently.
