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Daily Mirror
15 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Alan Shearer reveals Alexander Isak meeting as U-turn leaves him with Newcastle theory
Alan Shearer has revealed what he took away from meeting Alexander Isak several months ago prior to the striker's ongoing stand-off with Newcastle over a transfer move away Alan Shearer suspects a major disagreement has unfolded behind the scenes for Alexander Isak to force a move away from Newcastle. Isak is currently in the midst of a stand-off with Newcastle as he tries to orchestrate a transfer from the club he joined three years ago and won the Carabao Cup with last season. The 25-year-old was not involved in the team's pre-season training camp and tour of Asia due to the uncertainty about his future. After expressing his wish to leave Newcastle, the striker was the subject of a £110million bid from Liverpool earlier this month, which the north east club immediately turned down. He has since been training on his own and missed the Magpies' Premier League opener against Aston Villa, which ended in a goalless draw despite Villa being down to 10 men. The club's hierarchy maintain they will only let their star player go if another club meets their valuation of him, believed to be around £150m, given that he is contracted until 2028. Newcastle icon Shearer discussed the summer's biggest transfer saga in the latest episode of The Rest Is Football podcast, with the situation expected to continue on until the window shuts on September 1. The legendary striker revealed he had a detailed conversation with Isak earlier this year. At that time, he didn't sense any desire from the player to leave - leading him to believe something has seriously upset the Swedish international since then. Shearer recalled: 'I sat down with him five or six months ago and I didn't see this in him, to be honest. I thought he was a manager's dream the way he spoke about his life and was talking about the club. So obviously, something has massively upset him and we don't know what. That led Gary Lineker to theorise: 'These things are always behind closed doors so there could have been a point maybe a year ago where they said, 'If you have another great season we'll give you a big bonus, redo your contract', and then it didn't transpire. I don't know, but I suppose we'll find out at some point.' The episode was filmed before but released after Isak dropped a bombshell statement on Tuesday night, breaking his silence on the matter. On the night, Isak had failed to attend the Professional Footballers' Association awards gala, where he was named in the Premier League team of the season. The Swede took to Instagram to post a statement explaining why, indicating that he will not play for Newcastle again. He seemingly confirmed Shearer's suspicions by saying "promises have been broken" and "trust has been lost" between the club and player. Isak wrote: "I've kept quiet for a long time while others have spoken. That silence has allowed people to push their own version of events, even though they know it doesn't reflect what was really said and agreed behind closed doors. "The reality is that promises were made and the club has known my position for a long time. To now act as if these issues are only emerging is misleading. "When promises are broken and trust is lost, the relationship can't continue. That's where things are for me right now - and why change is in the best interests of everyone, not just myself." Newcastle swiftly responded to his comments with their own statement, stating: 'We are disappointed to have been alerted to a social media post by Alexander Isak this evening. We are clear in response that Alex remains under contract and that no commitment has ever been made by a club official that Alex can leave Newcastle United this summer. 'We want to keep our best players, but we also understand players have their own wishes and we listen to their views. As explained to Alex and his representatives, we must always take into consideration the best interests of Newcastle United, the team and our supporters in all decisions and we have been clear that the conditions of a sale this summer have not transpired. We do not foresee those conditions being met. 'This is a proud football club with proud traditions and we strive to retain our family feel. Alex remains part of our family and will be welcomed back when he is ready to rejoin his teammates.' There is some speculation as to how the relationship has soured. Reports suggest the Newcastle striker was promised a mammoth new contract by Amanda Staveley, but Staveley and her husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi sold their stake in the club to the Saudi Public Investment Fund in July 2024. It is claimed Paul Mitchell, who later joined as the club's sporting director, immediately cancelled talks with the player, believing the three years left on his contract meant he didn't need a new one. Another theory is that Isak has been let down by the club's direction and lack of ambition. It has undoubtedly been a disappointing summer recruitment-wise for Eddie Howe, having missed out on a number of top targets, when Isak would have wanted to see the club invest in new players to match his ambition of competing for elite trophies.
Metro
17 minutes ago
- Metro
Man Utd deliver another Brentford blow by signing up key backroom figure
Brentford are set to suffer another loss this summer as academy director Stephen Torpey is due to leave to join Manchester United. The Red Devils are bringing in the 43-year-old to head up their own academy and replace Nick Cox, who is departing to join Everton as technical director, report The Athletic. That move to Merseyside was agreed in June but Cox has remained in place in Manchester until a replacement could be found. Torpey has been in his role at Brentford since January 2024, having spent time at United's rivals beforehand. After a playing career spent mainly in non-league football, Torpey began his coaching life in Liverpool's academy before moving to Manchester City in 2014. Metro's new weekly football newsletter: In The Mixer. Exclusive analysis, FPL tips and transfer talk sent straight to your inbox every Friday – sign up, it's an open goal. He made his way up the ranks at the Etihad to become head of the academy before leaving for Brentford last year. It is another blow for the Bees after a tumultuous summer of loss both on and off the field for the club. Manager Thomas Frank was tempted away by Tottenham, while Manchester United signed star striker Bryan Mbeumo. Captain Christian Norgaard has moved to Arsenal, while goalkeeper Mark Flekken left for Bayer Leverkusen. There could yet be another high profile departure, with Newcastle keen on Yoane Wissa and the forward seemingly set on securing the switch to St James' Park. Frank also took members of his backroom staff with him to Spurs, with Justin Cochrane, Chris Haslam and Joe Newton all leaving Brentford. More Trending Keith Andrews has been installed as the new manager, his first role in a top job, and got off to a tough start with a 3-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest on the opening weekend of the Premier League season. On that loss at the City Ground, Andrews said: 'It was always going to be difficult but we made it harder for ourselves. We knew their strengths and we knew the problems they would cause. Set-pieces were always going to be a threat. 'Get back to basics. Basics in the game is a dirty word at times, but you have to have an edge and do the ugly side of the game and compete as a team. I didn't think we did that. 'I saw it a lot in the first half and it's something we need to address. The second half was a lot better on a lot of fronts.' MORE: Man Utd warned Benjamin Sesko is 'similar' to Liverpool's 'biggest ever transfer mistake' MORE: Arsenal handed fresh Rodrygo boost as Real Madrid slash asking price MORE: Alejandro Garnacho rejects offer to leave Manchester United after Chelsea talks
Daily Mirror
18 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Virgil van Dijk sends message to Alexander Isak after explosive Liverpool transfer statement
Virgil van Dijk has hailed Alexander Isak as one of the toughest forwards to face in the Premier League as the Newcastle forward continues to push for a move to Liverpool Virgil van Dijk insists Alexander Isak is one of the toughest opponents to come up against as Liverpool continue to eye the Newcastle frontman - who has given an explosive statement on his situation. The Swede is looking to force his exit from St. James' Park and has made it clear he won't play for the club again. That would be a major blow for the Magpies with Isak crucial to their recent success. He scored against Van Dijk and Liverpool as Newcastle claimed Carabao Cup success last year - their first domestic trophy in 70 years. Isak also notched in a Premier League draw with the Reds, meaning he has found the net four times against the Merseysiders in six outings. And that quality has not gone unnoticed by Van Dijk, who was quizzed on the most difficult strikers he's had to combat in the Premier League. Whether he was giving Isak a deliberate compliment or not is unclear, but he put the Swede in the top bracket. He told Cecil Thomas on a TikTok live stream: "[Erling] Haaland, Isak, [Ollie] Watkins, Harry Kane. Speaking about the last couple of years in the Premier League, there are plenty. Everybody has a different challenge so I respect everyone playing in the Premier League because it's the hardest league in the world." Isak was not present at the PFA Awards in Manchester, but was named in the Premier League Team of the Year, as voted for by his fellow peers after a stellar season for Newcastle. Only Mohamed Salah outscored him, but the Swede took Tuesday night as the opportunity to break his silence. The striker said: "I've kept quiet for a long time while others have spoken. That silence has allowed people to push their own version of events, even though they know it doesn't reflect what was really said and agreed behind closed doors." Newcastle have already rejected a bid from Liverpool in the region of £110million and are demanding a far higher fee. That said they've maintained their star man won't be sold. Isak is thought to be angered after a promise to look at his contract was u-turned on and now he's demanding that he's allowed to leave. He claimed: "When promises are broken and trust is lost, the relationship can't continue. That's where things are for me right now – and why change is in the best interests of everyone, not just myself.' Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
