Arsenal ‘big, big favourites’ for Premier League if they do one thing | Football

Arsenal would be ‘big, big, big favourites’ to win the Premier League if they signed Alexander Isak, believes former Chelsea striker Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink.

Isak has had a superb season so far for Newcastle, scoring 23 goals in 33 games across all competitions, helping the Magpies win the Carabao Cup.

His impressive displays have not just been this campaign, with 50 goals in his 77 Premier League appearances since he signed from Real Sociedad in 2022.

Unsurprisingly, the 25-year-old’s prolific form has seen him linked with a move away from St James’ Park, with Arsenal touted as a possible destination for the Sweden international.

Newcastle will not want to lose their star striker, but could be tempted to cash in if an enormous offer comes in for the man who is under contract until 2028.

Hasselbaink reckons Isak would be a game-changer for Arsenal if the Gunners can get him, not only making them more realistic title contenders than they have been in recent years, but runaway favourites to win the league.

‘If they’re going for a striker and they want a proven striker, really there is only one: Isak,’ Hasselbaink told Gambling Zone. ‘The problem is, will he leave Newcastle? Or will Newcastle let him go?

‘Newcastle is a big, big club. Look, Arsenal is a massive, massive institution. Don’t get me wrong. One is bigger than the other…

‘If they get Isak, wow, what a force they are. With all the problems that Manchester City have, and I don’t think that Liverpool is going to repeat what they’ve done this season next season, because they have got a lot to restructure in the summer.

‘If Isak goes to Arsenal, it’s awesome for them. It’s a complete game-changer because of how good he is. If Arsenal can sign him, they’ll be big, big, big favourites for the Premier League title next year.’

Arsenal are certainly keen on signing a striker this summer after being left extremely short up front due to injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz in the second half of the season.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has made it clear that he wants Isak – and his other star performers – to stay.

‘We have to try and keep our best players,’ Howe said last month. ‘That’s crucial to our short-term success and our long-term success, so sitting here as the manager of the football club, I’d be saying we need to keep the group together and we need to add the other way.

‘We haven’t added in a long time in various transfer windows for the reasons we’ve all discussed.

‘But we need to move the team forward and we can’t lose our best players. I love working with Alex and I wouldn’t swap him for anyone. We’ve got a good relationship and he’s got a good relationship with his teammates. We’ve tried to help him by moulding our style of play to suit his game.’

Arsenal is not the only club interested in Isak, with the likes of Liverpool and Barcelona also linked with big-money moves for his signature.

Isak told Fotbollskanalen.se of his own future: ‘From within the club and from our side there are absolutely no discussions. It’s just full focus on playing for me.

‘There is a lot of writing outside but within the club no one is talking about anything like that. I just want to perform for Newcastle. Now we won the cup, but we want to finish strong and reach the Champions League games. It’s pretty normal, pretty much the same as it was before. I do my best to relax and live as usual. But it’s clear that it’s hard to avoid everything that is written on social media.’

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