Newcastle United: Howe could form a dynamic duo by signing Hakim Ziyech

Newcastle United’s owners have not been against spending significant amounts of money to bring new players to St. James’ Park. 

One player the club broke their transfer fee record to sign back in the previous summer window is Alexander Isak, who joined from Real Sociedad for £63m.

Unfortunately for the striker, a hamstring injury hampered his playing time at the Tyneside club, leaving him with just five Premier League appearances to his name.

However, the 23-year-old attacking prowess has shown why the club spent such a hefty amount of money to sign him as he’s found the net on three occasions.

This has left Isak with the highest rate of shots on target per 90 minutes (2.22) at Newcastle as well as the highest rate of goals per shot (0.22).

Should Eddie Howe feel the need to add some extra attacking reinforcements to his side, one figure that the Magpies have been linked with that we feel would give the Newcastle the manager the chance to create a scary duo alongside Isak is Hakim Ziyech.

Having delivered 135 assists in 440 club appearances throughout his career, this gives a glimpse into the ability he has of setting up his teammates with goalscoring opportunities.

This season has seen the 29-year-old start just four of the 10 league games he’s appeared in, but still show how much of a dangerous creative player he is.

Specifically, with a rate of 4.21 shot-creating actions per 90 minutes to his name, this only puts him behind January recruits Mykhaylo Mudryk (7.5) and Joao Felix (4.74), who have played considerably fewer games than Ziyech.

This shows how much a player like Isak would benefit from having someone like the Chelsea midfielder pulling the strings and setting up goalscoring opportunities for him.

Having been lauded for his “slick” ability to link up with his fellow attacking teammates in the past by journalist Nizaar Kinsella, this further highlights how a player like Ziyech could allow the other Newcastle players around him to flourish should he end up making a move to St. James’ Park.