Newcastle boss Eddie Howe is confident in-form striker Alexander Isak is an even better player now than the one he signed. Eyebrows were raised when the Magpies paid a club record £63million for the then 22-year-old Sweden international to Real Sociedad, for whom he had scored just six league goals in his final season, in August 2022. Isak, now 24, took his tally for the current campaign to 23, 19 of them in the Premier League, with a double in Saturday’s 5-1 victory over Sheffield United as he scored in a seventh successive game at St James’ Park to leave Howe purring over money well spent. Asked if the former AIK Solna and Borussia Dortmund frontman had improved since his arrival on Tyneside, the head coach said: “Without a doubt. For me, Alex is now a much better player.