Liverpool may face competition in the race to sign Alexander Isak as transfer saga continues
Yet after the Anfield club had their first offer for Isak of £110m rejected, there has been a stand-off between the two clubs after the player reportedly suggested he didn't want to play for Newcastle again.
Now reports in Spain suggest Real Madrid are eying up a bid for Isak, with Newcastle manager Eddie Howe admitting his club is in a challenging position prior to their 0-0 draw at Aston Villa on Saturday.
Howe was inevitably asked about the latest on Isak's future and he offered up a downbeat response.
'No different to how it has been for a number of weeks,' said the Newcastle boss. 'We are without him. We are adapting to that and still trying to be competitive.
'I don't think it's been healthy for us. I don't deny that's been a big challenge. Alex, for me, is one of the best strikers in the world - if not the best. To miss him from your squad leaves a huge gap.
'I think morale was certainly affected early on during pre-season. There was nothing I could do to affect that - it was always going to be there.
'When you have a player that good who is not part of your group, it's difficult for the players to fully understand it and to know what's going on and how to react. But, as time has gone on, there has been an acceptance this is the squad and we have got to make the best of the situation.'
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has refused to directly comment in his club's interest in Isak, but he confirmed once again that he is keen to add to his squad after their 4-2 win against Bournemouth on Friday night.
Hugo Ekitike has been added to the Liverpool forward line this summer, but Slot is keen to sign one more attacking player
'I see Hugo mainly as a number nine that could also play from the left or play together with another number nine,' said the Liverpool boss.
'It's clear that with Darwin gone and Luis Diaz gone, and even last season, we had five or six options. I think, again, Diogo [Jota], I need to mention him as well. So yeah, we need to have one more attacker, at least.
'Everyone is saying they added and that added [players], but we have only replaced so far. You never know what's going to happen in the transfer window.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
31 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Brian O'Driscoll aims cheeky dig at fellow Ireland rugby legend during Oasis concert as sports stars flock to Croke Park
Another sports star left his duty as a TV pundit to make a flight to Dublin ROLL WITH IT Brian O'Driscoll aims cheeky dig at fellow Ireland rugby legend during Oasis concert as sports stars flock to Croke Park BRIAN O'DRISCOLL aimed a cheeky dig at a former Ireland rugby teammate during Oasis' concert at Croke Park. The ex-Ireland and Leinster centre was amongst the legions of fans who turned out to watch Noel and Liam Gallagher in Dublin. 2 Rob Kearney went to see Oasis with wife Jess 2 Brian O'Driscoll poked fun at his former teammate He was joined by fellow rugby legend Rob Kearney, who went to the historic show alongside wife Jess Redden. Not only that, but they were seated alongside one another, with Kearney clearly enjoying the acclaimed performance. O'Driscoll shared one pic of his friend to his Instagram Story alongside a cheeky dig at the 39-year-old. He said: "Definitely Maybe was still s****ng his pants when this album came out!" Saturday night's show was the first of two concerts to be held in Dublin, with the second being on Sunday night. And Kearney's wife Jess whetted the appetite of those lucky enough to have secured tickets for the show. She said: "What a night. If you're going tonight, have the best time - iconic show!" Kearney and O'Driscoll were far from the only sports star who turned out to Croke Park on Saturday night. Former Liverpool and England striker Peter Crouch was another one of those. He posed for pics with several people during the show, including a budding musician. Oasis lights up Dublin sky Jack Schiavo plays alongside Liam Gallagher's son, Gene, in the band Villanelle, and was "humbled" to be snapped alongside the Premier League pundit. The 44-year-old had made headlines when he left his duty as pundit for TNT Sport DURING their live TV broadcast of a Premier League opener. The former England striker was alongside Joe Cole for Saturday's early game as Aston Villa drew 0-0 with Newcastle. At the end of TNT Sports' live coverage, Crouch could not wait to get off screen and make his way to the airport. He was teased by presenter Lynsey Hipgrave, who said: "That's about all we have got time for, oh sorry, I have just been told we have got more time all of a sudden. We can carry on talking for a bit." Crouch replied: "No, Lynsey, I am going to Oasis tonight, that's not happening. I've got a flight to catch." Joe Cole interjected: "Let the man leave. He's done his job. He's done enough." Crouch then dropped the microphone and hilariously sprinted off camera. Cole responded: "I am so jealous." And Hipgrave then brilliantly added: "Pete, don't look back in anger."
The Irish Sun
31 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Eberechi Eze expected to START for Crystal Palace as Tottenham fail to fully agree deal while Arsenal still in mix
EBERECHI EZE is now expected to START for Crystal Palace at Chelsea despite Tottenham pushing for a deal. Spurs are keen to land the Palace midfielder for £55million and there were doubts on Saturday over whether he would be available for Palace at Stamford Bridge as an agreement looked close. 3 Eberechi Eze was expected to miss Crystal Palace's season opener against Chelsea Credit: GETTY 3 But he's now set to be in the starting XI for this afternoon's London derby Credit: ALAMY There were considerations over leaving the England man out of Oliver Glasner's squad for the opening game of the season. But with no deal fully agreed with Tottenham, Eze is now expected to be in the starting XI for the London derby. The 27-year-old has two years remaining on his deal at Crystal Palace and wants to turn out for Palace while he is still their player. Arsenal have also expressed interest in a deal for Eze, though their interest appears to have cooled in recent weeks and no firm bid has been made. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL INTO TOP GEA Man Utd exploring sensational Old Trafford return for David de Gea Tottenham are looking to sign both Eze and Manchester City winger Savinho. Savinho was left out of Manchester City's squad at Wolves on Saturday, with the club valuing him at £67m. Marc Guehi is also expected to captain the Eagles, with Liverpool having expressed interest in the defender. The Premier League champions remain short of Palace's valuation on Guehi, who has a year left on his deal and is prepared to stay another year and run it down. SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET £50 BONUS WHEN YOU JOIN 3 Asked about both ahead of today's game, Glasner said: 'Marc has trained the entire week with us, every single training session, the same with Ebs. 'They've prepared the best way for the Chelsea game on Sunday afternoon. Ebereche Eze wins £15,000 in celebrity online chess tournament - and celebrates more than his Wembley FA Cup goal 'I've been in the football business for too long, so I know that at any time of any day, things can happen. "If you ask me now, I expect both Marc and Ebs to start on Sunday.'
The 42
an hour ago
- The 42
4 years ago, he was in the Team of the Year. Now, he's without a club
IN ELITE football, luck as well as talent is key to the success of any player. Being in the right place at the right time can be fundamental to a footballer's progress. In the Premier League last season, two Irish internationals — Jake O'Brien and Matt Doherty — were out of favour at their clubs. In the two cases, a change of manager midway through the campaign changed the fortunes of both individuals, and they became first-team regulars at Everton and Wolves, respectively. A few years ago, James Brown was considered a player of significant potential and might even have had a chance at Premier League football were it not for an unfortunate twist of fate. After starting at Shelbourne, the right-back's career fully took off with Drogheda. In 2020, he helped the club win the First Division title. The following year, he enjoyed another stellar season, earning a place in the PFAI Premier Division Team of the Year, winning Drogheda's Supporters' Player of the Year and being made captain of the club. The youngster's form caught the attention of clubs across the water. In late 2021, he had trials at Blackburn and Bristol Rovers. Brown joined the Ewood Park outfit and made a significant impact. The then-23-year-old initially signed a short-term deal and became a regular for Rovers' reserve team. 'I know a lot of lads that wouldn't take a six-month contract, and I just said: 'Why not?'' he tells The 42. Brown impressed in this new environment to the extent that he was soon rewarded with a two-year extension. Under Tony Mowbray, the club were chasing promotion to the Premier League, and Brown made the first-team bench a couple of times before getting his debut in Blackburn's May 2022 clash with Birmingham, completing the full 90 minutes. The Dubliner looked set for an extended run in the first team. '[Mowbray] told me that I'd be more in the plan next year, because I signed for him in January, and then towards the end, he was very good to me. He constantly had chats with me, saying he was happy with what I'm doing.' Advertisement Unfortunately for Brown, just four days after his debut, Blackburn announced that Mowbray would be leaving as manager after over five years in charge. The club had looked set to secure a place in the Championship play-offs at the very least, but a dire run of one win in nine matches around the pivotal March-April period meant they finished six points adrift in eighth. This decline in form had serious ramifications for Brown as well as the club. 'I think if Tony Mowbray didn't leave, I probably would have got a lot more games the following year,' he says. Jon Dahl Tomasson, the ex-Newcastle and AC Milan striker, took over the reins. The Danish coach had 'different ideas,' and they did not involve Brown. 'That's football,' as the defender pragmatically puts it. Brown knew he needed regular first-team game time and spent the 2022-23 campaign on loan, making 16 appearances in League Two with Stockport County and 17 in the same division for Doncaster Rovers. Stockport narrowly missed out on promotion, finishing fourth and losing the play-off final on penalties. 'They had 22 really good players, which was frustrating at times,' he recalls. 'Because we'd win games and the manager would rotate, and I was on loan, so I wanted to try to play every game, or as many games as possible.' Doncaster were battling down the other end of the table, ultimately finishing 18th, but the fact that they had a 'lighter' squad proved attractive to Brown. 'They didn't finish as well as Stockport did in the league, but I got games in, which is all I wanted that season.' He continues: 'When I went to Stockport, it was hard picking back up fitness-wise. And then I was starting to get rotated, which, in all honesty, I didn't know how to handle. 'When I was in Ireland, I was playing every week, and things were rosy. When I was at Blackburn, I wasn't expecting to play, whereas when I went to Stockport, I was expecting to play.' James Brown of Ross County slide tackles Kyogo Furuhashi of Celtic. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Despite having a year left on his contract, Brown decided to leave Blackburn with no apparent pathway to the first team there. In the summer of 2023, he joined Scottish Premiership side Ross County. In two seasons, the full-back made 58 top-flight appearances, gaining substantial exposure, often playing in front of TV cameras against teams of the calibre of Celtic and Rangers. However, Brown says he was not surprised when the club opted against renewing his contract at the end of last season. Ross County suffered the agony of relegation, losing to Livingston in a play-off after finishing the league season four points off safety in 11th. This outcome resulted in considerable budget cuts, with the Irishman one of the players let go. 'There's been dips in [my] form 100% and then I've had some positive games [since moving to Britain]. '[At Ross County] it's difficult when you're up against it every week. So there are games where you wouldn't push [forward] as much as you would in other games 'It's a harder level over here [compared with Ireland], of course, and demands are higher, and you're playing against better opposition. So it's more difficult, but it's a lot easier to impress in a better team than it is in the team down at the bottom of the league.' During the summer, the PFA (Professional Footballers' Association) runs a 10-week pre-season camp for unsigned players in Britain, and Brown is one of a constantly changing group of around 40 who are part of this setup. The full-back has been in talks with several clubs and had offers, but is still waiting for the 'right' opportunity. 'I don't want to rush into a move that I'm not happy with,' he explains. 'But at the same time, you see the fixtures going on each week, and you'd like to be involved. '[If I'm still a free agent] later on in the window, I'll probably get a small bit more agitated.' Elaborating on why he declined certain offers, he adds, 'It's probably a bit of everything. One, probably the location, and another was the level. And then you have some clubs financially not meeting what you're expecting.' St Patrick's Athletic were one of the clubs rumoured to be interested in Brown, and the defender says he did have offers to return to Ireland. 'I just said the same thing I'm going to say to you — I want to try to stay in the UK. 'The standard is great at home, and it's only getting bigger and bigger, but my priority is to stay in the UK for a few more years, or anywhere [abroad] really.' At 27, Brown is experienced enough to know that he can recover from this predicament, as he has the maturity to cope with setbacks. 'I think everyone gets to a stage where you want success straight away, [but] you're going to have knocks and bumps, where you just have to be patient. I've lost my head a few times when I probably shouldn't have, in my head, not at other people, but being patient and just chipping away, keep working hard [is key]. 'Everyone's human. Confidence is a massive part of it. 'It's a huge amount of luck involved.'
