Alexander Isak's Stunning Stats Stack Up Against Premier League's Elite Strikers

The Alexander Isak transfer speculation continues to develop, but time is running short for the Swedish striker to secure a move from Newcastle United to Liverpool.

With the Premier League transfer window closing on September 1st, Newcastle shows little sign of lowering their £150 million ($203 million) asking price for the talented striker. After investing over £300 million ($406 million) this summer, Liverpool seems reluctant to meet such demands.

Isak appears stuck at St James' Park for now, with his desired Anfield transfer seemingly out of reach due to the hefty price tag. But is the tall forward truly worth such a massive fee?

To evaluate Isak's market value properly, we need to examine how he measures against other top Premier League strikers. For a fair assessment, we'll exclude recent signings Hugo Ekitiké and Viktor Gyökeres—who built their reputations in lower-tier competitions—and focus on three proven Premier League goal machines: Erling Haaland, Ollie Watkins, and Dominic Solanke.

Let's examine how Isak stacks up against these three players.

Goal-Scoring Statistics

Measuring anyone's scoring prowess against Haaland's is essentially pointless. Regular players simply can't match his incredible statistics—the Manchester City forward has found the net 87 times in just 98 Premier League appearances, maintaining a 0.89 goals-per-game average. His finishing reliability distinguishes him from other elite strikers, though the exceptional talent surrounding him certainly helps boost his remarkable tally.

Despite fewer Premier League appearances than Haaland, Isak maintains an impressive scoring frequency. He's achieved 0.63 goals per Premier League match at Newcastle, though his overall statistics were affected by a modest first season with only ten goals. Subsequently, he's delivered 21 and 23-goal Premier League campaigns for a team far less attacking than Manchester City.

Watkins has outscored Isak in total Premier League goals but required significantly more appearances to do so. He's featured in 99 more matches than the Newcastle striker while scoring only 21 additional goals. His best Aston Villa season yielded 19 goals, falling short of Isak's recent two-year output. Simply stated, he lacks the clinical edge of the Swedish international.

Solanke trails considerably behind his striker colleagues in goal production, managing just 36 goals across 162 Premier League matches. He's averaged one goal every five league games throughout his English top-flight career, though he's shown improvement recently. 78% of his Premier League goals have arrived in the past two seasons with Bournemouth and Tottenham Hotspur.

Creative Contribution

Isak isn't particularly renowned for his creative output in attacking areas, and the statistics confirm this perception. He's recorded just ten Premier League assists throughout his career, with six coming last season. This translates to 0.12 assists per match, which isn't particularly impressive. These figures would likely improve at Anfield, though.

Watkins emerges as the most creative among our four candidates, boasting 36 assists and averaging 0.19 per match—surpassing his three counterparts. He generated seven big chances last term, exceeded only by Isak's 11, and is generally regarded as a striker with broader influence beyond the penalty area. The Villa player will stretch defenses and move wide to create opportunities for teammates.

Despite questions about Haaland's link-up play, he nearly matches Watkins' creativity. He averages 0.17 assists per match but managed only three throughout last season's league campaign. Frankly, the Norwegian doesn't need extensive involvement between penalty boxes given his lethal finishing ability.

Solanke also recorded just three Premier League assists last season but suffered from Tottenham's domestic struggles. He contributed four Europa League assists alone in 2024–25 as Spurs performed better in European competition. Nevertheless, he averages only 0.1 Premier League assists per match.

Market Value

Isak's talent is undeniable, but his price tag sparks considerable discussion. £150 million would establish a new Premier League transfer record by a substantial margin, representing nearly triple Haaland's 2022 Manchester City fee—though City ultimately paid significantly more than £51 million including bonuses and agent commissions. Even today, Haaland wouldn't command much beyond the £150 million threshold, despite being football's premier striker.

While Solanke clearly falls short of Isak's caliber, Tottenham paid £55 million upfront for him last summer. He's already contributed to their European success and is merely two years Isak's senior. Is the Swedish striker genuinely worth three times the Spurs forward's value?

Watkins hasn't transferred recently, but Arsenal's £60 million January bid was declined for the 29-year-old. Reports suggested a similar price would have been set for the England striker this summer—£90 million below Isak's valuation. Despite Watkins' age disadvantage, that represents a considerable difference.

Newcastle will naturally negotiate firmly for their prized asset, but justifying their enormous asking price becomes difficult when comparing other Premier League strikers' valuations.