Newcastle talisman Alexander Isak is becoming less affordable by the game – his stunning display against Arsenal shows why every club should want him right now, writes CRAIG HOPE

As Alexander Isak walked into the Emirates Stadium, a starry-eyed Arsenal fan joked: “Welcome home, Alex.” The Newcastle striker played like an intruder and was just as fearsome. Those stars quickly gave way to fear.

This is why Arsenal want Isak. This is why every club should want Isak, regardless of whether they can afford him. He is an object of desire. Right now he does whatever he wants.

Isak has been playing well of late, scoring nine goals in his last eight games before this tie. He scored again here, but took his game to another level – ‘well’ wouldn’t do it justice.

Take the passage about 20 minutes before his opening goal. William Saliba thought he had defended cleverly, causing Isak to stop outside the penalty area.

That’s where you want attackers, stationary and led wide. What followed felt as if Isak had borrowed a pair of starting blocks and traded his boots for spikes as he leapt past Saliba from a standing start.

Saliba, for the record, was still in the starting position when his breakaway broke into the area and pulled back in front of Lewis Hall, whose shot was blocked.

Isak put the visitors ahead in the first half when he fired home Jacob Murphy’s pass

It was the in-form Swedish striker’s tenth goal in his last nine games in all competitions

You could hear the collective murmur of the home crowd. They did not beat their man, but mainly built up the opponent. An object of desire, indeed. In that one moment he had displayed the stealth of a jaguar and the speed of a cheetah.

Meanwhile, at the other end, Arsenal played with a false nine in Kai Havertz, missing headers when unmarked from five yards. There is nothing false about Isaac. He is a complete striker, as evidenced by his recent goals.

Yes, he can score them like Thierry Henry, dribbling and quick finishes that take your breath away. But the sight of him taking his last pair from inside the six-yard box shows there’s a poacher residing in that athletic, whiplash frame.

His goal, in the 37th minute, was yet another example of his instinct for the right place and the right time. There was still work to be done as Jacob Murphy’s poke passed through bodies and into its path into the goal mouth, not least because goalkeeper David Raya threw his body at his feet. But as he assessed the angle, Isak entered the only way possible: the underside of the crossbar. It was a better finish than it might have seemed, given the proximity to the goal.

It’s no wonder the TV cameras followed him off the pitch at half-time; they came closer than Arsenal’s defenders during the first half. The red players did not do much better after the break either.

When Newcastle scored again six minutes after the restart, it was through Isak, even though he was not the scorer.

That was Anthony Gordon, turning in from close range after Raya could only get a shot in his step. And whose shot was it? Isaac. Not only that, he had started the action midway through Arsenal’s half. They were now so afraid of him that Arsenal allowed him to shoot by withdrawing.

It would be easy to say that he is the player who can transform Arsenal from contenders to Premier League winners. So easy, that is said almost every day. But the more he plays this way, the less affordable he becomes. He praises himself out of a move!

Isak’s performance showed why Arsenal want the Swedish striker in their ranks

He gave Arsenal’s centre-backs William Saliba and Gabriel their toughest night in a long time

When Anthony Gordon fired home Newcastle’s second goal, it came after some great play from Isak

Not that Isak wants to leave Newcastle. Not when they are likely heading to a Carabao Cup final. Not when they are probably also on their way to a return to the Champions League, the stage that a player of his class demands. If we don’t achieve the latter, we may have to reconsider the price tags this summer.

But for now he can’t ask for much more than at Newcastle. For all his heroics on offense, he has to look at his comrades on defense and be grateful that he doesn’t have to find a way past them every week. Here they were equally heroic. Indeed, he has teammates of his quality in every area: from Sven Botman at the back to Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes in midfield and Gordon in attack.

For now, Isak should feel perfectly at home in Tyneside, let alone North London.