Alexander Isak won't need any added motivation to impress at Newcastle United - but Stuart Pearce has admitted that he has 'got to be convinced' about the Magpies' new record buy.
Isak has become Newcastle's most expensive signing of all-time after completing his £58m move from Real Sociedad on Friday. Rather than being daunted by the price tag, however, Isak has embraced the 'responsibility' of it and vowed to 'do my best and give my all to help this club reach its goals'.
Eddie Howe certainly believes that Isak has the athleticism, technical attributes and 'X-factor' to thrive in the Premier League. Despite only being 22, crucially, Isak also has experience of adapting to life in Germany, the Netherlands and Spain and the Sweden international can, obviously, speak fluent English, which will be a huge help when it comes to settling in now that the season has already started.
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Although Erling Haaland and Dusan Vlahovic are the only other strikers aged 22 and under to have scored more goals in Europe's top five leagues in the last four years, Pearce is reserving judgement after the former Newcastle defender watched Isak during his recent spell as West Ham's first-team coach.
"I've seen a fair bit of him to be fair," he told talkSPORT. "Obviously, looking at potential transfer targets, that type of thing. He's been OK. He's decent. I'm not sure. For the money, I'm not sure. I've got to be convinced on that one and time will tell."
Isak will soon have the chance to show Pearce and the Premier League that he was worth the record-breaking fee. Isak is awaiting international clearance to see if he will be available to make his debut against Wolves at Molineux on Sunday or whether the new arrival will have to wait for the trip to Anfield to face Liverpool on Wednesday.
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