‘You know what happened’: Mikel Arteta speaks on Newcastle star after ‘two actions’ vs Arsenal | OneFootball

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta commented on the performance of Newcastle striker Alexander Isak following a 2-0 defeat at St James’ Park last night.

The Gunners trailed 2-0 after the first leg of the League Cup semi-final at the Emirates Stadium, and they faced a huge challenge in overturning the deficit.

The London giants failed to do so after a lacklustre performance. Isak had a brilliant outing for the Magpies despite not scoring

The Swede scored after just four minutes from a splendid counter-attack, but VAR chalked off his goal as he was marginally offside in the build-up.

However, the 25-year-old eventually contributed. Isak got behind William Saliba to unleash a strike on goal. His effort hit the woodwork, but Jacob Murphy scored off the rebound.

Arteta said: “I’m not here to evaluate opposition players, but it’s clear that he had two actions to finish, and you know what happened.”

Isak has had a fantastic season for the Tyneside outfit, bagging 19 goals and five assists in all competitions.

He has only four goal contributions more than Arsenal’s Kai Havertz but provides much more in an attacking sense with his pace, dribbling skills and clever movement.

The ex-Real Sociedad man dominated proceedings against Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes yesterday. The former could not cope with the Swede’s intelligent runs behind him.

Arsenal must spend on a marquee centre-forward during the summer transfer window. It appears a no-brainer to break the bank on Isak instead of pursuing a striker from abroad.

RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko is one of the top names on the Gunners’ radar, but Isak would be a perfect acquisition. He has vast Premier League experience and is in the prime of his career.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com.