‘There will be pressure’: Ex-Celtic star stunned by £63m Newcastle transfer

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Former Celtic star Mikael Lustig is confident of Alexander Isak succeeding at Newcastle United after the Toon completed a club-record signing to bring the Swedish international to St. James Park.

In an interview with Sportbladet, the now-AIK centre-back spoke highly of how impressed he has been of Isak’s early performances with Newcastle, with the striker already bagging against Liverpool and impressing against Crystal Palace over the weekend.

Eddie Howe signed Isak from Real Sociedad for a reported club-record fee of £63m in one of the most surprising transfers of the summer, yet Lustig and many others believe the shock decision will prove fruitful in the years to come if the Swede develops well in the English northeast.

The former Hoops defender used to play with Isak at international level and now plays for the club where the attacker got his big break in Swedish football, and for Lustig, he is full of confidence that the 22-year-old will be a success at Newcastle given his fast start to life in the Premier League.

Lustig said when asked about Isak: “It is clear that there will always be talk of the price tag and there will be pressure on his shoulders. But those of us who know him know what a down-to-earth guy he is, he will handle it well. It will be nice to follow him.”

The 35-year-old added about his former Swedish international teammate: “I am very proud. We who have seen him and trained with him know that he has it in himself. He perhaps stuck a little in Sociedad last year, I think this move will do him well.”

Lustig is right to believe record-Newcastle signing Isak will flourish

Isak stole headlines with his fantastic finish against Liverpool in his Premier League debut, and Lustig is right to predict that the Swedish superstar has the potential to become a defining transfer for Newcastle in the early stages of their PIF era.

Indeed, Isak was one of world football’s most-sought after strikers, and whilst it’s still quite a surprise that Newcastle managed to sign the 22-year-old, there’s a strong chance that the new Toon No. 14 could become a force in the Premier League and a leading man for the Magpies for many years to come.