In recent times, the Scandinavian region has been a hotbed for talented young footballers. Martin Odegaard created a lot of hype for moving to Real Madrid at the tender age of 15. His development so far has been poor at the Spanish giants and this should teach other young aspiring footballers a lesson about the club they choose to develop in.
Interestingly, another Scandinavian based striker, Alexander Isak of Sweden, has been primed for a move to Real Madrid. He currently plies his trade with Swedish top-flight side AIK, where he has made a real name for himself at the age of just 17. Despite being only 17, Isak stands at 6’3 which is refreshing as he might still have some growing to do.
With 10 goals in 26 games for AIK, he has established himself as one of the top young promising strikers in European football and his playing style has even lead to comparisons with his compatriot Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Thus leading many to think that he could be ‘The Next Ibrahimovic’. With Zlatan having retired from international football recently and Isak scoring on his international bow recently, that could be a reasonable possibility.
Despite being such a tall and lanky player, Isak does not disappoint when it comes to pace and speed. He is also quite comfortable with the ball at his feet and is equally adept at bringing other players into the game with his hold up play. Isak had also courted interest from several other top clubs, who were aware of him due to vast scouting and links.
Although there is a lot of hype surrounding him at the moment, Isak should look to keep his feet on the ground and grow in stature first. Real Madrid’s interest in him shouldn’t dwindle out all the hard work he has done so far in his career. Norwegian Odegaard suffered when he made that move to Real Madrid. He has simply failed to get on or do anything noteworthy so far in his Los Blancos career. Isak should look to learn from Odegaard’s disappointing move and should look to avoid the mistakes made by the Norwegian prodigy.
It is said that the reported £8.8million move will be finalized and Isak will put pen to paper soon, which will make him the most expensive export from the Swedish league, surpassing the fee that took Zlatan to Ajax. The transfer looks set to go through in the summer when Real Madrid’s transfer embargo is lifted.
Real Madrid could just be the club for Alexander Isak to develop himself. With only Benzema and Morata realistically ahead of him when he makes the move, he should look to make the most of it and impress Zidane in training in order to feature in the Frenchman’s first team plans. Madrid would also like to avoid the route they took with Odegaard’s development, where he was only recently loaned out to SC Heerenveen in Dutch football.
Isak might be loaned out a little earlier and that can only be a good thing and it would mean that he returns to Real Madrid having completed his physical growth and also having decent game time under his belt, at a club that can provide him that. Isak’s all round game is definitely short of a few valiant features and going out on loan to the Dutch league or any lesser league will surely help him develop in the right way and become a top star in the near future.
For now, Isak must keep his expectations low and take life as it comes instead of getting too caught up with the attention and love he is receiving. His idol Ibrahimovic certainly did not become a star overnight and Isak must take a leaf or two out of Zlatan’s book and look to emulate his career. Clearly, Isak has the potential. Whether he is willing to work hard to convert that potential into class, is a matter that many will question.