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Isak scoring his first goal for the club in 2022 against Liverpool.

Where are they now? The 8 signings Newcastle made alongside Alexander Isak

Alexander Isak has blossomed into a leading striker in the Premier League and goes down as one of Newcastle United’s best-ever signings –  but not every player who joined with him in the summer of 2022 has enjoyed such success.

Looking back at the summer window when he joined, eight players also arrived but they have all endured contrasting experiences, at a time when the Magpies were starting to splash the cash from their Saudi Arabian owners.

We’ve looked back at that summer to find out what the eight players who joined Newcastle alongside Isak in the summer of 2022 are up to these days.

Matt Targett

Signed to help instantly upgrade their left-back position, Targett was a dependable figure with demonstratable Premier League experience at Southampton and Aston Villa.

While he began at left-back at the start of the season, he was then demoted to the bench by Dan Burn after suffering a heel injury. The six-foot-seven defender showed stark improvements in defence and became something of a cult hero at the back.

Whereas Targett has become a fringe squad player having played just 44 times since 2022 and at 29, he looks set for a potential exit either in this window or the next.

Nick Pope

Having signed for £10million, Pope was seen at a bargain at the time and he has gone on to repay that figure with his performances for the club.

He kept 18 clean sheets in his debut campaign and he was key in their top-four finish and run to the EFL Cup final.

However, his dismissal in the league against Liverpool ruled him out of the cup final versus Man United, which they then lost, becoming the only stain on his record that year.

He then suffered badly with a shoulder injury the following season as he made just 21 appearances.

Whilst he had returned to form and into the side at the beginning of this campaign, a knee injury has kept him out of action since December and there are reports the club is looking to replace him given his injury record.

Sven Botman

Seen as a transformative signing at the time, Botman was highly rated by Europe’s elite clubs and was linked with moves to several clubs having impressed for Lille.

He quickly became a key player starting 35 games in the league, and playing a key role in their top-four finish.

However, the following season was plagued by a knee injury suffered in the first half of the season before then suffering a cruciate ligament injury later on in the campaign.

That kept him out for nearly 270 days and he has only just returned to action with back-to-back 90-minute appearances against Tottenham and Wolves – and the fans will be overjoyed to see him back in action.

Lorius Karius

Having joined the club on a free transfer nearly two weeks after Isak did, the ex-Liverpool keeper was seen as an experienced back-up for Nick Pope but he failed to truly make an impact on Tyneside.

Strangely enough, his only game of the entire campaign came in the EFL Cup final at Wembley against Manchester United, a game in which they lost 2-0. He then featured one last time against Arsenal in the league in a 4-1 defeat.

He then was released by Newcastle before biding his time as a free agent from the end of June until the current January window when he penned a deal to join Schalke.

Karius is yet to make his debut for the fallen giants of German football.


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Alex Murphy

Onto the youngsters now, Murphy was signed from Galway United as a 17-year-old and went on to make his Premier League debut in a 4-1 win against Chelsea at St. James’ Park in November 2023.

The Republic of Ireland youth international has been capped four times at the U21 level but he has played just twice for the first team, with two substitute appearances totalling 11 minutes. He currently resides in the under-21s.

Charlie McArthur

Another defender, McArthur joined from his hometown club Kilmarnock in the same window but has failed to progress into the first-team as of yet. 

McArthur is also in the U21 side and has played 11 times this season, starting in eight of his nine Premier League 2 appearances to date.

Jude Smith

Signed from East Fife, he originally came through Celtic’s youth system before joining the Scottish side. He quickly became one of the youngest starting keepers in Britain at Fife with 25 appearances in Scotland’s League One.

He featured 19 times for Newcastle’s U21 side and was never close to making a matchday squad under Howe and he recently joined Carlisle in League Two on a free transfer.

Jordan Hackett

Having come through Tottenham’s academy, he had made his England U18 debut before joining Newcastle, as well as featuring for their under-15 side.

The defender spent two years in the U21 squad before being let go on a free transfer to join Cornwall-based side Mousehole AFC in Southern League Division One South last summer.