Arsenal land fresh Alexander Isak transfer incentive as Mikel Arteta sent £54m double message
Arsenal face their biggest clash of the 2024/25 season thus far as they take on Premier League title rivals Manchester City. The Gunners head into the clash after picking up a point in their Champions League opener against Atalanta with that goalless draw coming a few days after the North London Derby win over Tottenham.
Mikel Arteta’s side have also beaten Wolves and Aston Villa but dropped points to Brighton. City meanwhile, are also unbeaten and can return to the top of the Premier League table if they avoid defeat, though they come into the game having failed to score in a European clash against Inter earlier this week.
Prior to that, Pep Guardiola’s side had no issues finding the back of the net, but for Arsenal, keeping clean sheets has been the common occurrence. Therefore, a huge battle at Etihad Stadium appears on the cards though last season’s clash ended with neither team scoring.
Arsenal are still having some problems in front of goal with Mikel Arteta and sporting director Edu Gaspar likely to push for a marquee striker signing. Newcastle’s Alexander Isak remains of interest and a fresh incentive has recently emerged for the Gunners to bring him to Emirates Stadium.
Isak incentive
Newcastle suffered their first defeat of the season at the hands of Fulham on Saturday. Isak was a doubt for the clash but was named in Eddie Howe’s starting XI and went on to play the full 90 minutes.
The Sweden international has struggled to reach the levels expected of him so far this season with the Magpies also yet to put in a dominant performance. Despite that, they had won three of four games before the trip to Craven Cottage, though they were brutally found out on Saturday and that could continue.
football.london says: “On paper, Newcastle look as though they will be batting for a European spot again but in almost all of their league games, their opponents have been made to look like the team challenging near the top end of the table.
“Isak’s underwhelming performances are of course playing a slight role in that but in a different team, his strengths would be brought to the forefront. If Newcastle continue playing this way, Isak will likely be far more open to an exit especially if another season passes him by without European football.
“The 25-year-old could be the final piece to complete Arteta’s team and based on what is happening right now, it looks as though his current club may have an unfortunate role to play in his exit.”
Nelson and Smith Rowe message
While Isak failed to make a lasting impact against Fulham, two Arsenal academy graduates stepped up to the plate in that game. Emile Smith Rowe, who joined Marco Silva’s side in a £34million deal over the summer, scored his side’s second of the afternoon with Reiss Nelson, who sealed a deadline day loan move, grabbing a late third.
To make way for Raheem Sterling, Nelson departed on a temporary basis after his £20million asking price was deemed too expensive by the likes of Leicester City and Crystal Palace. With the duo on target, they are certainly showing Arteta what he is missing.
football.london says: “Unfortunately, not every transfer decision is going to pay off and for Arsenal it was certainly time to move on from Smith Rowe. Fulham were able to take on the services of an extremely gifted footballer while Arsenal acquired a significant fee for his permanent departure.
“As for Nelson, the Gunners still clearly have the chance to reintegrate him back into the squad but may be better off selling him upon his return with his stock unlikely to be as high again given the lack of opportunities he would receive back at Emirates Stadium.
“For far too long, Arsenal have not been brutal enough when it comes to moving players on but that finally looks to have been rectified. Former players are always going to be in the headlines if they find success but it was still absolutely the right decision to sell Smith Rowe and provide Nelson with the game time he was after.”
