Travelling to a foreign land far away from home, settling in unfamiliar surroundings and adapting to their culture and practices can be an onerous task. Yet, it is one all too common in the realm of Football.
With changing rooms acting as a sort of melting pot for players from diverse backgrounds, it is only natural that they pick up some of the local flavour.
The notion of an overseas player settling in so effectively is always lovely to see, and by the looks of it, Alexander Isak is the latest player to have formed a personal bond with his club.
The striker arrived at St James’ Park during the summer transfer window, for a reported transfer fee of £63 million.
Newcastle United’s decision to spend big on the promising Swede has turned out brilliantly so far, as Isak has scored 10 goals in just 15 Premier League appearances.
That figure would’ve likely been higher, had it not been for an injury that sidelined him for a decent portion of the season.
Nevertheless, Isak returned in solid fashion, with the striker netting 7 times in his last seven appearances for The Magpies.
The 23-year-old has played a decisive role in Newcastle’s quest for Champions League qualification, and the Toon Army have been right behind him since the beginning of his spell.
Isak had his very own chant within weeks of his arrival in Tyneside, which speaks volumes of the adoration the Swedish International has received at his new club.
The love, paired with a supportive dressing room and an impressive run of form have allowed Isak to settle in perfectly. And now, the Swede has even begun to dabble in the local dialect.
Newcastle bears close associations to ‘Geordies’, the name used when referring to Tyneside natives.
Among other things, Geordies are known to have a pretty unique accent, which is a peculiar blend of British, Scandinavian and Saxon dialects.
Historically, the accent was heavily influenced by the Anglo-Saxons that settled in England, other influences were picked up from the Angles, the Germanic settlers that arrived in England during the fifth century.
The end result makes for a distinct accent, loaded with oddly pronounced words and a colourful vocabulary. In summary, it’s far from easy to get into it.
But by the looks of it, Isak has picked it up effortlessly.
The striker was seen speaking Geordie in a clip which popped up online.
Captured after Newcastle’s 6-1 drubbing of Spurs, it displays Isak greeting the staff before making his way into the dressing room.
Along the way, he also exclaims an expression which Geordies found to be quite familiar: ‘Gan Yem’.
While it may seem like gibberish to those uninitiated, the Geordie expression actually means ‘going home’.
Isak might’ve been familiar with the expression prior to his arrival at Newcastle, as some Geordie words share surprising similarities to those in the Swedish language.
Despite not being exactly the same, there likely wasn’t much of a deviation from the striker’s standpoint.
In fact, the similarities between both dialects will undoubtedly help Isak get used to the accent, so don’t be surprised if the Swede goes full Geordie after a few months.
Rando
Monday 28th of August 2023
It isn’t a Geordie accent. It’s some sort of London accent. Would love to know where that comes from!