The Alexander Isak saga continues to rumble on but, unfortunately for the Sweden international, time is running out on a potential switch from Newcastle United to Liverpool.
The Premier League transfer window closes on September 1 and Newcastle appear increasingly unlikely to budge in their £150 million ($203 million) valuation of the prolific centre forward. Having already splashed over £300 million ($406 million) this summer, Liverpool are unlikely to match their asking price.
Isak, for the moment at least, seems stranded at St James’ Park, priced out of his dream move to Anfield. But does the towering striker justify such an enormous price tag?
Well, to properly assess Isak’s worth we must compare him to his leading positional peers in the Premier League. To make it a fair comparison, we’re omitting recent arrivals Hugo Ekitiké and Viktor Gyökeres—who have spent years performing in ‘lesser’ leagues—and instead testing his credentials against three of the division’s most experienced and deadly marksmen: Erling Haaland, Ollie Watkins and Dominic Solanke.
Here’s how Isak compares to the trio.
Goalscoring Record
Comparing anybody’s goalscoring record to Haaland’s is ultimately futile. Mere mortals cannot compete with his astonishing numbers—the Manchester City striker has scored 87 times in just 98 Premier League matches, averaging 0.89 goals per outing in the competition. The consistency of his finishing sets him apart from the division’s other top forwards, although it’s worth noting the quality of those around him undoubtedly contributes to his outstanding total.
Isak has played fewer matches than Haaland in the English top flight but he still boasts a phenomenal scoring rate. He’s netted 0.63 goals per Premier League game during his time on Tyneside, with his underlying numbers ultimately impacted by a tame debut term in which he only scored ten. Since then, he’s produced 21 and 23-goal campaigns in the Premier League for a team who are nowhere near as prolific as Man City.
Watkins is another who’s outscored Isak in the Premier League but has done so in considerably more matches. He’s played 99 games more than the Newcastle man, yet has only 21 more strikes to his name. A 19-goal season was his strongest return for Aston Villa, several shy of Isak over the past two campaigns. Simply put, he’s not as clinical as the Sweden international.
Solanke falls well behind his fellow forwards when it comes to goals scored, managing just 36 during 162 Premier League matches. He’s scored just once every five games across his time in England’s top tier, although he’s been more consistent over recent seasons. 78% of his strikes in the competition have come across the last two terms with Bournemouth and Tottenham Hotspur.
Playmaking Ability
Isak is not necessarily known for being a particularly creative force in the final third and the numbers support that sentiment. He’s managed just ten Premier League assists across his career, with six of those coming last season. That’s an average of 0.12 per match, which is not a particularly inspiring total. Those numbers would be expected to jump up at Anfield, however.
Watkins is actually the most creative of our four subjects, with 36 assists to his name and an average of 0.19 per match—more than his three peers. He created seven big chances last term, a total which was only bettered by Isak’s 11, and he’s generally viewed as a striker with greater influence outside of the penalty than those he’s being compared to. The Villa man will run the channels and drift wide to open up space for his teammates.
Despite criticisms of Haaland’s build-up play, he’s not far off Watkins. He averages 0.17 assists per match but only managed three during the entirety of last season in the league. Let’s be honest, the Norwegian doesn’t need to do much between the boxes when he’s so lethal in the opposition’s.
Solanke also managed just three assists last season in the Premier League but he was a victim of Tottenham’s domestic woes. He managed four assists in the Europa League alone in 2024–25 as Spurs saved their best performances for the European stage. Still, he only averages 0.1 assists per match in the Premier League.
Transfer Fee
There can be no doubting Isak’s quality, but his price tag remains the source of debate. £150 million would make him the record Premier League transfer by quite some margin, and would be almost three times as much as Haaland’s fee in his move to Man City in 2022—although the Cityzens did end up paying far more than £51 million when factoring in bonuses and agent fees. Even now Haaland wouldn’t be expected to cost much north of the £150 million mark, and he’s the best striker in world football.
While Solanke is clearly a far cry from Isak in terms of quality, he cost Tottenham £55 million upfront last summer. He’s already helped them to a European trophy and is only two years older than Isak. Again, is the Swede really three times as valuable as the Spurs forward?
Watkins hasn’t been on the move for some time but Arsenal saw a £60 million bid rejected for the 29-year-old in January. It was reported that a similar asking price would have been set for the England international this summer—£90 million less than Isak’s valuation. While age is against Watkins, that remains a sizeable gulf.
Newcastle will understandably play hardball for their top asset, but’s it’s hard to justify their colossal asking price when compared to the value of the Premier League’s other leading forwards.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as How Alexander Isak’s Record Compares to Top Premier League Strikers.