'Newcastle trade off awaits between Alexander Isak and second trophy'

03/20/2025 03:10 PM

Newcastle United will be desperate to ensure that their Carabao Cup success opens the door to more silverware, but the quickest way to double their haul may come at a huge price.

After 70 years without domestic silverware, there were jubilant scenes when the full-time whistles blew against Liverpool at Wembley on Sunday (16 March) to confirm Eddie Howe‘s side’s 2-1 win over the Premier League leaders.

Howe is already being backed by the Newcastle hierarchy to turn the club into regular trophy winners in the years to come.

Now, through winning the Carabao Cup, the Magpies have already guaranteed themselves a chance to win a piece of European silverware next season, where they may feel they have a chance of success.

Newcastle guaranteed European trophy shot thanks to cup win

With victory at Wembley over the weekend Newcastle qualified for another competition – as winners of the Carabao Cup, the Magpies have now been awarded a place in the UEFA Conference League for the 2025/26 campaign.

Since its introduction in 2021, the competition has proved a productive one for English clubs, with West Ham winning the title in 2023.

Chelsea meanwhile are now into the quarter finals of the current edition of the tournament, where they are heavy favourites to be crowned champions.

Given Newcastle are currently just two points behind Chelsea in the Premier League table, with a game in hand, they would surely be very confident of their own success should they enter the competition next season.

But in the circumstances the Magpies are more likely to sacrifice that huge chance of a European trophy, in order to give themselves a better chance of long-term success.

Alexander Isak will want more than the Conference League

Victory in the final was secured for Newcastle when Alexander Isak put them 2-0 ahead shortly after half time.

It continued an excellent season for the Sweden international, who has proven himself to be one of the very best centre-forwards in world football.

Inevitably that has led to plenty of speculation around his future this season, with Arsenal heavily linked with Isak in recent months.

Meanwhile, it is also understood Liverpool have considered offering Darwin Nunez to Newcastle as part of a swap deal with Isak heading in the opposite direction.

Ultiamately though, the Magpies are going to be desperate to keep hold of their talisman who has proven so vital to their success.

Isak though knows how good he is, and will therefore want to be playing at a level where he can earn the biggest rewards from both a football and financial perspective.

With that in mind, it has been suggested that if Isak is to sign a new contract with Newcastle the club are going to have to qualify for the Champions League to meet his demands.

That would of course mean forgoing the place in the Conference League, and with it an excellent chance of silverware for next season.

Clearly, the Champions League is two tiers above the Conference League in the European pecking order, and therefore a much more appealing competition to be part of in general.

The financial rewards that come with reaching the top level of the European game, would put Newcastle in a much stronger position to agree a new contract with Isak, and open the door to higher-level recruitment as it unlocks more of the owners’ immense spending power.

Considering the quality they would be up against though, it would also be much more difficult for them to claim the title, as they discovered last season.

Even so, keeping Isak and gaining the funds that allow them to strengthen their squad, will put them in a better position to compete for bigger trophies than the Conference League more consistently.

With that in mind, Newcastle will undoubtedly still be going all out for Champions League qualification in the remaining months of this season, even if it makes next year’s pursuit of a trophy even harder.

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