Howe: Newcastle ‘cannot lose’ Isak as Swede hits 50th Newcastle goal | OneFootball

Eddie Howe has once again affirmed his love for Alexander Isak after the Swede helped Newcastle United to a 2-0 Carabao Cup quarter-final win over Arsenal.

The goal marked his 50th for the Magpies in all competitions since he signed from Real Sociedad in 2022. He has fast become a fan favourite, comfortably leading the club’s scoring charts since joining.

As Mikel Arteta blamed the match ball for Arsenal’s struggles on the night, Howe chose instead to wax lyrical about his star forward.

Howe said: “[Isak] is so important, we can’t lose him, we can’t risk losing him.

“I was delighted with how he performed, I think he took his goal really well, but then we knew second half that we needed to manage him.

“I think he played very well in the first half today. He looked really good physically. His pace and movements were giving them a problem and I think he looked free.”

He continued to gush, adding every successful team needs a high-performance striker. With Callum Wilson out injured indefinitely with a hamstring problem, Isak has stepped up to lead from the front, inspiring the Geordie’s push to fifth place in the Premier League table.

Howe continued: “[Isak’s 50 goals] is a brilliant return, and I think every team needs a good striker. We feel that when Callum [Wilson] is fit we’ve got two very good strikers that offer something different, but really elevate our play.

“I think you can see when Alex is in that mood like he was in the first half he is a brilliant player for us to use in various ways. I think the players really appreciate him.

“He is doing the hard work as well, he’s not just scoring goals. He is doing the bits that we need him to do to help the team be effective.”

The second leg of Arsenal and Newcastle’s Carabao Cup quarter-final will be held at St James Park on February 5.