Alexander Isak

[Riou]

Great backup/wide option for main man Kai, tbh.

Factor in Jesus' dodgy knee, then this guy is the perfect "number 2" forward option for us

 

[DuBB]

I'm not sure about that, if you mean as a target man. In Havertz' last season at Chelsea he won 57% of his aerials while having about 2.1 per 90 minutes. This season he has won 48% for Arsenal while having about 3.2 per 90 minutes.

Isak has about 1.6 aerials per 90 in his both seasons for Newcastle. Last season he won 44%, but this season only 13,3%. Doesn't fill me with confidence as a target man, and I'm 100% sure Arsenal needs another target man in the attack. Isak can learn it, but it will likely take time. He is not a very strong player, and is the same age as Havertz already.

Player Comparison: Alexander Isak vs. Alexander Isak vs. Kai Havertz vs. Kai Havertz | FBref.com

Player Comparison: Alexander Isak vs. Alexander Isak vs. Kai Havertz vs. Kai Havertz

fbref.com

Well there are different ways to be a target man.

Gabriel Jesus last season was a Target Man. He pinned CBs, held possession and got us up the pitch by buying other players time.

Stats are great, but we all know what we saw.

A target man isn't always to your head, a target man can be to feet. It can be to the midriff.

A target man can also be a player who you play the ball long to, ask them to chase, hold it up until the rest of the team catches up and then play people in to start offensive cycles.

Harvertz, for us, wins the ball in the air quite well, but most of his "target man" style play is controlling and or manipulating the ball played to him and bringing others into play, often with his body or feet. Another thing that stat about his aerial duels doesn't show you is how many of them have been defensive aerial duels. Maybe you can pull that up. Because for most of the season Havertz has been an 8, not the 9 as one of the 2 front pressers. This recent stretch up front may have skewed his stats lower, or higher - who knows. But for most of the season, Havertz was winning aerial duels as a midfielder when the ball was coming back at us, not as a 9 when we were going forward.

My point is, we really need to do less statistical analysis of players and comparing them with nothing but data, because that's only 1 part of how a player is analysed.

Watch that player. Watch what they do for their team. The way their teams play with and off them. And then as you're watching that player, see if what they do is being done, or applies to us and our players. Not if their team plays like us, but if the actions they take are actions we utilise. And not always in the same position. Sometimes you can see a player on a wing and say "he does XYZ, but we do X on the wing but Y and Z up front... maybe this "winger" is a false 9" ie. Trossard, or maybe "X and Z" doesn't work as a 9 but it works as an 8 because those things we need there.

I love a good stat, but what I love more than stats is actual football. Watching it. And applying what I see to what I think works. And more often than not, the stats then back it up.

Almost everything Isak does, we do in 2-3 positions and in 3-4 ways of playing.

 

[ArsenesCoatMaker]

Isak kills two birds with one stone to a certain extent. Can see him playing with all of Martinelli/Jesus/Havertz/Saka/Trossard.

Anything over 80m is entering Rice level money. Is Isak that calibre/would he have that impact?

He upgrades 2 positions, either CF or LW. I think that makes it worth it. 100m transfers are going to become more mainstream. Rice, Caicedo, Enzo Fernandes, Antony, Sancho, Gvardiol, Nunez, Lukaku have all been in that ball park

Great backup/wide option for main man Kai, tbh.

Factor in Jesus' dodgy knee, then this guy is the perfect "number 2" forward option for us

Surely you jest?

 

[Riou]

Surely you jest?

Look at this face...

...does this look like the face of a MAN who jests!?

 

[drippin]

Well there are different ways to be a target man.

Gabriel Jesus last season was a Target Man. He pinned CBs, held possession and got us up the pitch by buying other players time.

Stats are great, but we all know what we saw.

A target man isn't always to your head, a target man can be to feet. It can be to the midriff.

A target man can also be a player who you play the ball long to, ask them to chase, hold it up until the rest of the team catches up and then play people in to start offensive cycles.

Harvertz, for us, wins the ball in the air quite well, but most of his "target man" style play is controlling and or manipulating the ball played to him and bringing others into play, often with his body or feet. Another thing that stat about his aerial duels doesn't show you is how many of them have been defensive aerial duels. Maybe you can pull that up. Because for most of the season Havertz has been an 8, not the 9 as one of the 2 front pressers. This recent stretch up front may have skewed his stats lower, or higher - who knows. But for most of the season, Havertz was winning aerial duels as a midfielder when the ball was coming back at us, not as a 9 when we were going forward.

My point is, we really need to do less statistical analysis of players and comparing them with nothing but data, because that's only 1 part of how a player is analysed.

Watch that player. Watch what they do for their team. The way their teams play with and off them. And then as you're watching that player, see if what they do is being done, or applies to us and our players. Not if their team plays like us, but if the actions they take are actions we utilise. And not always in the same position. Sometimes you can see a player on a wing and say "he does XYZ, but we do X on the wing but Y and Z up front... maybe this "winger" is a false 9" ie. Trossard, or maybe "X and Z" doesn't work as a 9 but it works as an 8 because those things we need there.

I love a good stat, but what I love more than stats is actual football. Watching it. And applying what I see to what I think works. And more often than not, the stats then back it up.

Almost everything Isak does, we do in 2-3 positions and in 3-4 ways of playing.

This was only about the target man capabilities of Isak. There is no need to remind about needing to also watch the players, not sure where this always comes from if someone mentions some stat. It's weird, because this is common knowledge, or should be. No matter how you look at it, 13,3% of aerial wins is pure horror. It's very bad.

As I said, Isak doesn't seem like a very strong player to me, not even like Havertz. He is a finesse player, Havertz is much more of a physical fighter who does a lot of defensive work also.

Jesus was not a good target man as he doesn't win enough aerials, because of his height, and this is what Arsenal needs in addition to Havertz. Having one target man in the attack all the time, so you can go long with not expecting to lose the ball. This is a huge priority once again, after my view was proven that Arteta needs a target man like Havertz last summer.

Another issue I saw from his stats was that he has attempted 0.43 tackles per 90. That's not much. But again, his success rate is 14,3%! That's horrible like the aerial win percentage.

Not sure why this is, but came to mind if he is avoiding physical challenges so he doesn't get injured again. I think it's a quite likely reason for these stats. Although he has attempted the same amount of aerials this season, but maybe he goes too easily for them so he loses them often. It's not a good sign if he avoids physical challenges and still gets injured.

 

[Rasmi]

He will be 85-90 million imo. Newcastle paid 63 million for him

 

[Gooner Zig]

He's the best option at CF and the most technically clean of them all. However there is a cap into how much we're willing to spend.

When isak will go for more than £80 million+, we also in need of a rapid transitional winger, an 8, a 6 (someone physical like Rice) plus CB/Fullback.

Can't we deploy Isak on the LW as well?

 

[Gooner Zig]

He will be 85-90 million imo. Newcastle paid 63 million for him

Would honestly pay that for Isak.

 

[Rasmi]

Would honestly pay that for Isak.

I would too. The money is there. Might as well get the right players

 

[Batman]

I would too. The money is there. Might as well get the right players

Rare Rasmi W

 

[Gooner Zig]

I would too. The money is there. Might as well get the right players

Only 23 as well, he'd fit like an absolute glove here.

 

[Rasmi]

Only 23 as well, he'd fit like an absolute glove here.

Also Isak is off Eritrean background. They don’t speak French

 

[ArsenesCoatMaker]

Can't we deploy Isak on the LW as well?

Ofcourse it's a big value to the transfer. Let's say Gabby and Jesus are out, you can have a front 3 of Isak, Havertz and Saka, with Tross on the bench. Or if Saka and Gabby are out you can have a front 3 of Isak Havertz and Jesus. So we can have 2 or 3 injuries from Saka, Gabby, Jesus, Havertz, Isak, Tross and still barely miss a beat. It allows Eddie and Nelson to be shifted for the pennies they'll bring in. In fact if they are shifted with Isak coming in, the transfer budget may actually be cheaper or at least the same

 

[TheEliteMaster100_]

Can't we deploy Isak on the LW as well?

Yes, he can do a shift there, remember he played there in our 2-0 win last season at St james Park to accommodate Wilson. He also played behind Gyokeres in their recent loss to Portugal.

But i just want a lightning quick dribbler to terrify teams who sit back against us. Other than Nelli, what team will fear us on the break perhaps?

Isak + Nico Williams would be lovely.

 

[DuBB]

Yes, he can do a shift there, remember he played there in our 2-0 win last season at St james Park to accommodate Wilson. He also played behind Gyokeres in their recent loss to Portugal.

But i just want a lightning quick dribbler to terrify teams who sit back against us. Other than Nelli, what team will fear us on the break perhaps?

Isak + Nico Williams would be lovely.

I believe that would be the best way to go too, but it would probably mean we'd have to shift Trossard on top of Eddie and Nelson.

Isak + Nico with Jesus, Martinelli, Saka, Havertz (as a #9 option) is the right balance in terms of positions, roles and minutes.

Trossard on top of that would mean in almost every game, one of them isn't even making the matchday squad, let alone the Starting 11.

It's just one too many.

 

[TheEliteMaster100_]

I believe that would be the best way to go too, but it would probably mean we'd have to shift Trossard on top of Eddie and Nelson.

Isak + Nico with Jesus, Martinelli, Saka, Havertz (as a #9 option) is the right balance in terms of positions, roles and minutes.

Trossard on top of that would mean in almost every game, one of them isn't even making the matchday squad, let alone the Starting 11.

It's just one too many.

Esr, Nelson, Nketiah should be shifted this summer and next summer Trossard should be shifted. Trossard is better than the aforementioned players.

Obviously if we get a good offer for Trossard this summer (£30 million+) you will let him go.

Only Rice and Ødegaard are our most trusted midfielders in our squad that you can rely upon.

 

[GoonerJeeves]

Also Isak is off Eritrean background. They don’t speak French

Does he speak Tigrinya?

 

[Rasmi]

Does he speak Tigrinya?

Yes. Not fully fluent. But I seen videos of him speak it

 

[King87]

Would honestly pay that for Isak.

Newcastle fans saying they'll start negotiations at 120M

 

[Sebastes]

Also Isak is off Eritrean background. They don’t speak French