Eddie Howe speaks out over Alexander Isak’s future amid Arsenal transfer speculation

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe insists he is relaxed about Alexander Isak’s contract situation and does not see an ‘issue’, despite rumours linking Arsenal with the forward.

Isak has established himself as one of the most sought-after strikers in Premier League football since arriving at St James’ Park two years ago, with the 25-year-old racking up 36 goals in 73 appearances.

The Sweden international missed a large part of last season through injury but still finished the season as Newcastle’s top goalscorer, netting 25 times in all competitions for the Magpies.

Naturally, Isak’s exploits in front of goal have earned him plenty of admirers in England and overseas and several elite clubs have been credited with an interest in the attacker in recent months.

The likes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain and are all believed to be monitoring the situation and with Isak’s contract talks at a standstill, it’s understood Arsenal are on red alert and ready to pounce ahead of the January transfer window.

‘I think that’s a slightly more complex situation. Regarding the contracts, I’m not necessarily involved in those discussions day to day,’ Howe told reporters at a press conference this morning.

‘I will hear bits and pieces but I think, with Alex, he’s got a long contract anyway at the football club and we have to be really careful regarding our spending due to PSR.

‘It’s not a clear-cut situation.

‘We, of course, love him, we’re desperate for him to stay and 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.’

According to talkSPORT, Isak will not consider a contract extension in the north east unless he is made Newcastle’s top earner. The former Real Sociedad man is also demanding a release clause in any new deal.

Isak’s current deal, which he signed upon his arrival at Newcastle, runs through to 2028.

Last weekend, Isak returned to Newcastle’s starting XI after recovering from a broken toe, playing the full 90 minutes as the Toon were defeated on home soil by Brighton.

‘He’s another player that’s done a lot of work this week to get his fitness levels up to 100 per cent,’ Howe added.

‘I left him on the pitch because he’s one of the most likely players to score even if he was tired towards the end.

‘He’s trained well this week. I think he knows the burden of being the the No.9 at Newcastle. I think you you do carry an extra weight with that but I think he’s done that brilliantly since he’s been here.

‘We need to support him and give him chances. It was great to see him have seven shots last week. So that was a good return on that backing. If he’s having seven shots every week, that he’s gonna score a lot of goals.’

Newcastle travel to Stamford Bridge this weekend and Howe is under no illusions about the challenge that awaits his side, with Chelsea’s main man Cole Palmer no doubt desperate to respond after an uncharacteristically quiet performance against Liverpool.

‘Cole has been been excellent this season and last season. His numbers are very, very good,’ the Newcastle boss continued.

‘We’re certainly aware of his strengths and what he brings to to Chelsea.

‘But again, they’re one of those teams that if you focus on one player, they have other players, that will really hurt you as well.

‘It’s about getting the information across to the players that we need to. As always with these games you have to bring a strength and be a threat yourself.

‘I do believe we have the players to do that but we certainly need to be defensively solid.’

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