What Mikel Arteta just said about Alexander Isak says it all in Arsenal transfer nightmare

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Mikel Arteta once again commented on Alexander Isak after the Sweden international humiliated Arsenal.

While Isak didn’t score against Arsenal in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final, the striker certainly got under the Gunners’ skin.

Despite Arteta warning his players of Isak after the first leg at the Emirates, the Arsenal squad failed to contain the Swede, who opened the scoring before the ten-minute mark.

Fortunately, the goal was ruled out for offside but, as expected, the 25-year-old returned to haunt Arteta’s side, as his second shot hit the post and fell into the direction of goalscorer Jacob Murphy.

• READ MORE: Two winners and four losers from Arsenal’s clash with Newcastle including Alexander Isak and William Saliba

Mikel Arteta praises Alexander Isak after Carabao Cup defeat

Arsenal’s defence struggled against Newcastle, with Isak leading the way for his teammates to terrorise the Gunners from start to finish. 

The match wasn’t supposed to go that way, as there was hope that Arsenal would approach the must-win fixture without fear but, such was not possible, predominantly due to Isak.

After the game, Arteta was quizzed about the Newcastle striker, whom Arsenal have been linked to heavily, giving a brief yet powerful assessment of the talisman.

“I’m not here to evaluate the opposition players. He has two actions and you know what happened,” Arteta told the media in his post-match press conference.

While many dream of having the Premier League goalscorer at the Emirates, the likelihood of Arsenal signing Isak is slim due to how highly Newcastle value their player, and for good reason. 

The fixture was another brutal wake-up call for Arsenal, who after failing to sign a forward in the January transfer window, were shown the difference a goalscoring profile can make.

Isak highlights Arsenal transfer failure

The matter is made all the more painful as Arteta wanted to sign a striker in January but, the right player never came along for a mid-season transfer.

Instead, Arsenal did no business in the January transfer window, watching other teams strengthen in the hope that the current squad has enough until the end of the season. 

In the first game back after deadline day, it was made abundantly clear that another body was needed, particularly in attack as Gabriel Martinelli was hauled off injured.

Isak is Arsenal’s dream target, and unfortunately for the Gunners, this season, the Sweden international is certainly showing Arteta what he’s missing.