Newcastle United started the season in hot and cold form, but hit a real green patch over the festive period, winning ten matches in a row in all competitions, leading them into the Champions League places in the Premier League table and the semi-finals of the EFL Cup.
However, due to last weekend’s 4-1 loss to Bournemouth, their first loss since November, Eddie Howe’s side have dropped to sixth place, joint on points with fifth place Manchester City, and two points behind fourth place Chelsea.
With the Toon looking to return to the Champions League next season, an emphasis will be put on keeping their best players at the club this January, whilst also looking to strengthen if possible, as the second half of the season looks likely to determine the future of Alexander Isak.
Newcaste weigh up move for big-money striker
According to reports from The Chronicle, Newcastle are ‘weighing up a bid’ to sign RB Leipzig forward, Benjamin Sesko. It follows reports from Germany that suggest any suitor will have to pay a seismic fee and for the Magpies, it would take a club record transfer fee of around £67m.
The Slovenian striker is also on the radar of plenty of top European clubs, with Arsenal one name said to be keen to strike a deal this month for Sesko.
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The 21-year-old was of interest to Newcastle in 2023, before he made the move from RB Salzburg to RB Leipzig, but since making that switch to the Bundesliga and further proving his quality, it has become even more unlikely for teams to get him out of Germany for any less than his €80m (£67m) release clause.
Sesko has made 25 appearances in all competitions for the German outfit this season, scoring 13 goals and providing three assists across 1,768 minutes.
How Sesko compares to Alexander Isak
Isak, who is four years older than Sesko, has made 24 appearances for the Magpies this season, scoring 17 goals, providing five assists and totalling 1,932 minutes played. So rather unsurprisingly, he’s bettering the Toon target.
That said, they share similar traits and qualities that would make Sesko a fine replacement should the Swede depart the north east in 2025.
They are both blessed with height, Isak standing at 6 foot 4 and Sesko at 6 foot 5, so the forwards have a similar tall but lean frame, being deceptively agile for their height.
That said, the Swede’s output is better across the domestic campaign to date.
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Benjamin Sesko vs Alexander Isak in 2024/25 |
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|---|---|---|
|
Stats (per 90 mins) |
Sesko |
Isak |
|
Goals |
0.71 |
0.83 |
|
Assists |
0.12 |
0.24 |
|
xG |
0.40 |
0.70 |
|
xAG |
0.03 |
0.20 |
|
Progressive Carries |
1.75 |
2.82 |
|
Progressive Passes |
1.58 |
2.71 |
|
Shots Total |
2.89 |
3.61 |
|
Goals/Shot |
0.21 |
0.23 |
|
Key Passes |
0.51 |
1.82 |
|
Shot-Creating Actions |
1.58 |
3.70 |
|
Aerial Duels Won |
2.60 |
0.94 |
|
Stats taken from FBref |
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When comparing Sesko and Isak with the metrics analysed above, you can see Isak is, of course, a more refined version of the Leipzig star, contributing more with output, finding himself in better areas to score (higher xG generated) and finishing at a higher level, with a 0.23 shots/goal ratio compared to Sesko’s 0.21 ratio.
That said, Sesko has been labelled as an “extraordinary” forward by pundit Tony Cascarino, comparing his physical attributes to Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, but comparing his dribbling quality to Manchester United legend, Ryan Giggs.
“He’s a big lad, powerful as well, and he can dribble. For someone who is 6 foot 5, he runs with the ball unbelievably. He gets linked to being similar to Haaland, but if you watch him play, he dribbles like Ryan Giggs.”
This alone shows the quality of the tall striker. He’s evidently physically gifted but with the agility and dribbling qualities of a winger, similar to Isak.
If the club’s top-scorer is to leave Newcastle at the end of the season, Sesko would be a brilliant replacement. He is a young superstar and capable of filling the former Real Sociedad striker’s boots in the long-term.
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