Eddie Howe admits that Newcastle United will never find another striker like Alexander Isak, insisting the team needs to adapt following his move to Liverpool.
The Sweden international scored 54 goals in 86 Premier League appearances for the Magpies before joining the Merseyside outfit for a record-breaking £130 million transfer fee.
Newcastle signed Nick Woltemade as Isak’s replacement, paying Stuttgart £69 million for the German centre-forward.
Woltemade found the net for the second time since his move to St. James’ Park, but it was not enough to beat Arsenal who came from behind to win 2-1 this past weekend.
Newcastle struggled to create clear cut chances against the Gunners, taking just eight shots in the game. They have also scored the joint-fewest goals (4) among all Premier League teams over the first six weeks of the season.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe makes Alexander Isak admission
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“To a degree, there is a feeling that there is a player change for us but we can’t use that as an excuse,” he said after the full-time whistle.
“We have to win with the players we have. It was great to see Nick score and we did have other chances in the game.
“We have to take accountability for that and look to come back and be better.
“I said when we signed Nick and Yoane [Wissa], they are totally different players and we are never going to find another Alex [Isak] but we can find a way to be effective with them in the team.
“It’s good to see Nick get two goals so early in his Newcastle career.”
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