ISAK WON’T ED OFF
Howe says rivals can forget trying to sign star striker Alexander
EDDIE HOWE has issued a firm warning to Arsenal and Euro rivals by saying Newcastle will refuse to sell star striker Alexander Isak.
The Newcastle boss could be in danger of losing one of his top two stars in Isak or Bruno Guimaraes this summer because the Toon will need funds to rebuild the squad.
Sweden international Isak has netted 18 goals so far this season, the most in a topflight season since Alan Shearer in 2005, with Arsenal credited with an interest in a summer deal.
But Howe acknowledged the importance of Isak to Newcastle’s rebuilding mission and has warned off rivals.
He said: “No one connected with Newcastle would want to lose him.
“He’s an outstanding talent. I thought he was excellent against West Ham.
“He didn’t score in open play but his two penalties were outstanding and his general play was very good.
“His link play, his athleticism, he looked in a really good place.”
Brazilian Guimaraes, a £100million target for Paris Saint-Germain, was also top class in Saturday’s thrilling 4-3 victory and the pair are fit to face Everton tonight, despite Newcastle’s mounting injury list with Jamaal Lascelles the latest to fall, needing a knee operation and a nine-month absence. Newcastle’s crazy comeback win over the Hamm ers has opened up a top-seven finish which would be highly-credible given their injury record and extra games this season. Kieran Trippier is nearing a comback after a “difficult” calf injury. Youngster Elliot Anderson is pushing for a recall and Harvey Barnes, who scored twice against West Ham – including the last-minute winner – showed he is ready having been brought on as a second-half substitute.
Howe said: “There was always that feeling that the season was alive but you have to win games and the more you don’t win, the more the season slips away very quickly.
“We know the quality of the league and we know how difficult it is to win consistently but that’s what we’re chasing now and being back at home was a big thing for us (on Saturday) and hopefully we can back that up with another good performance.
“Europe? We’re not going to rule anything out because I believe that you try and win every game. That’s what we’re trying to do and we’ll see what happens.”
Lewis Hall could get a start after a great cameo at the weekend.
Howe praised the on-loan Chelsea left-back, saying: “It’s huge for him and it’s huge for us because he’s done an incredible amount of work behind the scenes to work on various aspects of his game as we would with any young player.
“He’s come on on Saturday and made a real difference and I thought he came on against Manchester City and did really well.
“That’s his part of the bargain, when he plays he has to do well enough to try and stay in so he’s given me a lot of food for thought.”