Newcastle United have enjoyed a solid start to the 2024/25 campaign, going undefeated over their opening four matches.
Two wins and a draw in the Premier League has the club currently sitting in fifth place on seven points, while Eddie Howe also saw his side prevail over Nottingham Forest in a penalty shootout to reach the next round of the EFL Cup.
This start comes amid arguably one of the most disappointing transfer windows in recent times for the Magpies, as they failed to sign any marquee names to bolster their squad.
Perhaps the main thing was keeping hold of those key players who could spur the club back into the top four of the Premier League, securing qualification back to the Champions League in the process.
The likes of Bruno Guimaraes, Anthony Gordan and Joelinton will all have vital parts to play under Howe, while Alexander Isak is the main man in front of goal.
The Swede has been a wonderful signing for the Magpies. Can he take things up a notch this season?
Alexander Isak’s Newcastle record
After scoring 44 goals for Real Sociedad during a productive spell in Spain, Newcastle splashed out a club-record fee of £63m to bring him to the club in the summer of 2022.
It was clear Howe was attempting to build a team which could threaten the Premier League elite, and they went on to finish that season in fourth place.
Isak was impressive when he featured for the Magpies, scoring ten goals in 27 appearances that term, but it was last season in which he really delivered on his potential.
If his debut campaign was about him finding his feet at Newcastle, then last year saw the 24-year-old really come into his own.
Not only did the centre-forward find the back of the net 24 times in all competitions for the club, but he also helped himself to two assists.
Metric
2022/23
2023/24
Goals
10
21
Shots per game
2.3
2.6
Big chances missed
5
21
Successful dribbles per game
1.5
1.4
Total duels won per game
4
2.4
Additionally, Isak also created five big chances, averaged 0.9 key passes per game while succeeding with 1.4 dribbles each match – a success rate of 60% – in the Premier League last term.
The Swede did manage to miss 21 big chances, however, which means if he was more clinical in the opposition penalty area, then the former Borussia Dortmund man could have scored over 30 league goals for the club.
Regardless, it was still an excellent season on a personal level for him and Isak will be hoping for more of the same throughout 2024/25.
His performances have seen his market value grow, as at the time of writing, Isak is currently worth €75m (£63.3m), as per Transfermarkt, and this will only continue to rise should he maintain his recent form.
Indeed, Isak is the second-highest valued player in the entire Newcastle first-team squad, yet more evidence of his importance to Howe.
The club did sell someone a few years ago now, however, who would have been worth twice the valuation of the Swede in 2024 money – Andy Carroll.
Andy Carroll’s Newcastle statistics
The Englishman began his career with the Magpies, making his debut during the 2006/07 campaign, but it wasn’t until two years later that he scored his first goal for the senior side.
Despite Newcastle suffering relegation during 2008/09, Carroll notched three Premier League goals in 14 games, indicating that he had the potential to lead their charge to secure promotion from the Championship in 2009/10.
Indeed, the youngster helped the Magpies make a swift return to the top flight with 17 goals in 39 games, adding another 12 assists, emerging as one of the finest young strikers the club had produced in years.
Returning to the Premier League with experience certainly aided Carroll, who helped himself to 11 goals during the first half of the season, as Alan Pardew not only aimed to keep the side up, but to crack the top half of the table.
It was clear that one day, Carroll would be making the move elsewhere, especially displaying this kind of form, yet I doubt even Pardew expected him to leave that season.
Towards the end of the January transfer window in 2011, Liverpool came calling and made an offer the club couldn’t refuse…
How much Newcastle sold Andy Carroll for
The Anfield side had already secured the signature of Ajax striker Luis Suárez for a fee in the region of £22.7m having lost Fernando Torres to Chelsea.
The Reds weren’t finished there, however, as a bid of £35m was submitted to Newcastle in order to bring Carroll to Merseyside, which was a then British-record transfer fee that sent shockwaves around the country.
There was no way Pardew could have rejected the offer, especially considering the profit Newcastle were going to make on the striker.
Adjusting for inflation, this fee in 2024 would see Carroll valued higher than some of the best players in the world right now.
How much Andy Carroll would be worth in 2024
In 2024, money, however – with Totally Money having adjusted for inflation over the years – this £35m transfer fee would be worth a staggering £101m if he made the same move today.
This is just over £40m more than what Isak is currently valued at and shows just how much Liverpool paid to bring him to the club 13 years ago.
Totally Money have taken the 100 most expensive transfers of all time across each season since 1992 in Europe’s top five leagues. Armed with plenty of historical financial data they have calculated what footballers of yesteryear would be worth in the present day after taking into account the remarkable rate of inflation.
There is no doubt that they overpaid, as the Englishman scored just 11 goals for the Reds during his brief spell there.
Newcastle hit the jackpot by moving him on for such a high fee, however, paving the way for Pardew to use the money wisely that summer in order to strengthen his first team squad.
The 2011/12 season saw the Magpies secure a top five finish, which allowed them to qualify for Europe the following campaign.
Carroll failed to live up to this £35m fee back in 2011, yet he did shine for Newcastle during his time on Tyneside.
Sold for £500k: Newcastle must rue losing ace who's worth more than Tonali
The club certainly made a mistake in allowing him to leave.
1 ByEthan LambSep 6, 2024
