Alexander Isak has betrayed all those who held him dear at Newcastle

Telegraph

3 days ago

Alexander Isak was idolised at Newcastle United, a hero, a trophy-winning legend and the best striker to wear the black and white stripes since Alan Shearer. He could have done almost anything and his legacy would have remained unblemished – except this.
By publicly trying to force his way out of the club with three years remaining on his contract, despite being repeatedly and directly told that he was not for sale this summer, Isak has betrayed all those who held him dear on Tyneside.
He has angered and infuriated fans and, perhaps most damning of all, he has let down his manager Eddie Howe, the man who pushed so hard to sign him from Real Sociedad three years ago and who has helped turn him into one of the best forward players in Europe.
Even now, as Isak refuses to accept the decision of the board that he will not be allowed to leave for Liverpool, Howe has tried to put an arm around him.
He has tried to ensure there is a way back for him to return to the fold. Howe understands his frustration and can accept his bitterness, but he cannot accept a player who refuses to adhere to the professional standards he demands. Isak is too divisive to be allowed to mix with the rest of the team. That is a horrible, regrettable place to be.
Isak has made it clear he is not in the right frame of mind to play for Newcastle or train with the group. The longer it goes on, the more damage he will do.
Forward's behaviour has been despicable
It is not just his reputation at Newcastle that is taking a beating, it is how the rest of the football world will perceive him from this point on. If Isak can act this way at Newcastle, how will he behave at other clubs when he does not get what he wants?
His behaviour has been despicable and the road to redemption from here is a long and arduous one. He has effectively refused to go on a pre-season tour to Asia and is no longer in a suitable state of mind to train with his team-mates, let alone play for the club that turned him into a superstar.
So where does Isak go from here? He can continue to agitate to leave, he can hand in an official transfer request. These are options he can take. He can stick to his current plan of making things as difficult and uncomfortable for Newcastle – and Howe – as possible in the hope that he breaks their resolve and he, for all intents and purposes, forces them into allowing him to sign for Liverpool. That is his desire, but in football, as in life, we do not always get what we want when we want it.
He can continue to act like a spoilt child who has been told they cannot have sweets for breakfast. Toys tossed out of the pram followed by a moody, petulant sulk. This is his choice to make.
Or, he can accept Newcastle's decision, point the finger at his agent for agreeing to the six-year-contract he signed when he joined in 2022 and start to repair broken relationships.
It will be difficult and supporters are bound to vent their emotions. He could be booed the first time he plays for Newcastle again, but other players have been through similar and come out the other side.
The French midfielder Yohan Cabaye went on strike to try to force a move to Paris St-Germain but was reintegrated by then manager Alan Pardew. He performed so well on the pitch the fans forgave him and, when he eventually left for Paris the following January, he went with at least some goodwill.
Before that, Kieron Dyer endured a tumultuous relationship with Newcastle supporters after it was revealed he refused to play on the right wing in a game at Middlesbrough at the start of Sir Bobby Robson's final season as manager.
He was widely booed and jeered, even when playing for England in an international match at St James' Park, cupping his ears on the pitch to incense further an irate fanbase.
But he played for another three years at Newcastle and was a key player under Robson's replacement, Graeme Souness, and then Glenn Roeder. He was never idolised as he once was, but he stopped the booing and earned the respect of supporters by giving his all on the pitch.
Not too late to repair relationships
Harry Kane went missing at the start of pre-season trying to force his way out of Tottenham, but was welcomed back and played another year before leaving for Bayern Munich. Luis Suárez did the same at Liverpool. It has happened before and it can happen again. Isak can still pull himself back from the brink.
This is where Isak finds himself. He has chosen a volatile path to walk down. He has lost the respect and affection of a passionate fanbase and he has upset his manager and team-mates.
But there is a way back, he just has to not be so stubborn and so blinkered, that he fails to see it.
Nobody expects him to stay at Newcastle forever, but he will still only be 26 next summer when there will be far more options for him than just Liverpool.
Newcastle are willing to offer him a massive pay rise and a new contract with a release clause in it. He will not be held against his will in 12 months' time if he still wants to leave. He will have more control over his future and Newcastle will still get a fair price for him, which will enable them to reinvest in their squad. He can do right by himself and the club.
It is thought both Bayern Munich and Barcelona will be looking to sign a world-class striker next year. Both teams have as good a chance of winning silverware as any in Europe and will be able to match wage demands of £300,000-plus a week. Who is to say Real Madrid will not be lurking, too. Or PSG.
Liverpool, if he really has his heart set on Anfield, will still be there too. An amicable deal will be there to be done, the price set by any release clause.
Newcastle want one more year out of him. That is all they are asking for. It will give them time to find a replacement; it will give them time to prove they can match his ambitions. But if he still wants to go in 2026, they will not stand in his way.
All Isak has to do is apologise, shake off his disappointment, admit he has made a mistake and do the things in a Newcastle shirt that have made him what he is.
If he scores goals and plays well, Newcastle supporters will forgive him. He can be loved again on Tyneside, but he needs to stop behaving badly. The sooner he does that the quicker and easier the healing process will be.
Or he can continue to sulk and agitate to get what he wants now. It will tarnish his reputation, he will always be perceived differently, not just by Newcastle fans, but the rest of football too.
He might still be able to force his way out. He can cling to that idea, fuelled by his agent who would love a big pay day, but he will never be the same player he was. No matter how good he is, he will always be tarnished by it.
The player who broke hearts and let down a manager who has done nothing but support him. Wherever Isak ends up, this is what he will be remembered for. And he will always be remembered as a villain rather than a hero on Tyneside. Nobody can tell him what to do, we can only hope he does the right thing.