Selling Alexander Isak would be a disaster which would set Newcastle back years

Telegraph

24-07-2025

'There is no gun to Newcastle's head'
It is, in the end, in their power to do so. It is a decision they have to make. There is no gun to their head. Isak has three years left on his contract, they do not need to sell. Regardless of the pressure on them, it would still be a choice.
You can make the case for selling Isak. And people will. The money brought in would potentially free them up to spend heavily to improve the squad over the next two years.
There would be no PSR constraints to speak of, but then you have to factor in that Real Socieded negotiated a sizeable sell-on clause in the £63m deal that brought Isak to St James' Park back in 2022. Even a sale at £120m-£130m would only bring in around £50m-£60m of profit. It is not quite the game-changing amount people think.
You also have to consider that Newcastle already had money to spend this summer, but have not been able to land any of their first-choice targets other than Anthony Elanga because the players in question preferred other clubs, offering more money in wages or more attractive cities to live in.
It is not just a case of cashing in and automatically improving the squad depth. Newcastle cannot guarantee they will find anyone as good as Isak to play up front and have already struggled to upgrade their other positions of need this summer. The window closes in a little over a month's time.
There has been a long-held suspicion behind the scenes that the summer would bring this sort of unwanted drama. Indeed, Telegraph Sport understands there were crisis planning meetings earlier this year to determine how the club would respond if this situation manifested itself.
Those plans are going to be put into practice. The collective stance, from chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan down to manager Eddie Howe, was clear and defiant. Isak was not for sale this summer at any price. No matter what happened, no matter how much money they were offered, this was the position they would take.
Whatever methods were deployed to try to prise him away, by anyone with a vested interest in forcing Isak's exit, Newcastle would resist. They would, as one source made clear, 'dig in and fight' to make sure Isak remained their player next season.
The problem with talking about how you will respond in a crisis is you have no idea how you will stand up under duress. The best-laid battle plans can be ripped to shreds by a determined or powerful adversary.
Player power does not have to win if Newcastle flex their muscles
From the moment Liverpool made it known that they would be willing to pay £120m to sign Isak last week, it felt like we were heading in this direction. Liverpool were not responsible for the leak. They have conducted themselves with decorum, but everyone knows they are also waiting to pounce if Newcastle buckle. That is why Isak has now intimated he would like to listen to what they – and possibly others – have to say.
Isak told Howe days ago what his view on things was. It did not alter Newcastle's stance; he was informed he was not for sale and would not be leaving in this window. The next move has now been made. The pressure has been increased. Will Newcastle continue to resist or will they accept defeat and get as much money as they can for Isak?
They have a potentially unhappy and unmotivated player, who is on the verge of openly agitating to leave. A player Howe has just left out of the club's pre-season tour, supposedly because of a thigh injury, because his head clearly was not in the right place to be involved.
In these situations, history tells us that the player normally gets their own way in the end. That they behave in a manner that forces the club to sell them. They call it player power, but in this situation, Newcastle have plenty of power themselves. They can, as uncomfortable and as tricky as it might be, hold him to it.
The question is, can they persuade Isak to play for them again? If he downs tools, sulks and refuses to train or play properly, what is the point in keeping him?
Howe's excellent relationship with the player will now be key. You suspect we have a long way to go until there is a conclusion in this saga. Newcastle have not had this problem since the takeover by PIF. It is now up to PIF to tell us what sort of football club it wants Newcastle to be.