The Athletic answer who Newcastle United would target should Alexander Isak leave the club - Great answer

Each week Chris Waugh answers questions from Newcastle United fans for The Athletic and it's often a good insight into the mood around the fanbase as to what types of questions are being asked.

Newcastle fans have been subjected to relentless speculation about the future of Alexander Isak as the Swedish striker continues to terrorise the Premier League with his deadly finishing.

Touted by many as the top striker in Europe, Isak is catching the eye of everyone around the world, but while most are mere admirers, some seem to believe they have what it takes to lure the £63 million man away from Newcastle.

If that were to be the case, fans want to know how the club would even go about trying to replace him. The point is, if there was anyone capable of doing so, they too would be the target of these other clubs, surely?

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Chris Waugh answered who Newcastle will look at to replace Alexander Isak perfectly

Chris Waugh had the perfect response that fans wanted to hear when asked who'd replace Isak by simply saying nobody will need to because he won't leave.

"This may seem like a cop-out answer, but Newcastle are confident that, as things stand, Alexander Isak is going nowhere. He has three years remaining on his deal, they plan to open discussions over a potential extension come the summer, there are few (if any) clubs who could realistically afford him, and, in the view of Howe and other senior figures at St James’, the Sweden international is pretty much irreplaceable."

Waugh does go on to suggest that that stance could be harder to enforce should Newcastle fail to qualify for the Champions League, but we'll cross that bridge if we come to it.

Newcastle will be on the hunt for a striker in the summer

The reality is, that Newcastle need to add attacking options, not clear the decks. Callum Wilson is still seen as likely to leave when his contract expires in the summer which leaves just Will Osula as backup for Isak.

Osula has yet to force his way into Eddie Howe's plans, and as we've already proved before, going into a season with just two recognised strikers is a bad, bad idea.

Waugh mentioned Jonathan David and Benjamin Sesko as two forwards being looked at by the club, but whether they are realistic targets to play second fiddle to Isak, we're not convinced.