‘Relationship can't continue' – Alexander Isak breaks silence on transfer saga with scathing statement about Newcastle
NEWCASTLE striker Alexander Isak has claimed that "trust has been lost" between him and the club amid an ongoing transfer saga.
The striker has been pushing for a move away from St James Park since the start of the window.
1
Alexander Isak has broken his silence on his ongoing feud with Newcastle chiefs
Credit: Getty
THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY..
The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheSunFootball and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunFootball.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Alexander Isak and Newcastle approach point of no return after striker's outburst
As a general rule, it is almost always best to sleep on things before making important decisions or reacting to provocations. So why, at close to midnight on Tuesday, did Newcastle rush out a seemingly kneejerk response to Alexander Isak's incendiary Instagram post claiming that, amid broken promises, his relationship with the club was over? In a statement reflecting an appreciably tougher tone than at any time during this summer saga, Newcastle insisted no promises had been broken and that their intention is to keep Isak. The message was that the Sweden striker's attempt to force a move to Liverpool had failed and he would need to end his one-man strike before being welcomed back to first-team training. The only problem is that while you can lead a horse to water it sometimes really is impossible to make them drink. Even if – and right now it looks a pretty big if – Isak stops training alone and agrees to rejoin Newcastle's first-team fold, how can Eddie Howe ever trust him again? Howe's high-intensity, hard‑pressing approach is extremely demanding and, if Isak is anything less than fully engaged, he will prove detrimental to the team. Yes, Isak is supremely gifted, but the standard in the Premier League and Champions League is so high that even he is not capable of drifting through games and scoring goals out of nothing. Howe has already acknowledged that Isak's behaviour in skipping Newcastle's pre-season tour of south-east Asia disrupted dressing‑room morale. Does he really want a player, however talented, polluting behind‑the‑scenes atmosphere with his grievances? Given Newcastle fans have taken to chanting about 'one greedy bastard', maintaining his personal security in the face of intense supporter anger may not be exactly straightforward, either. Moreover, Isak knows that with every poor performance the price tag around his neck will drop. Given that Liverpool have shown no indication of pursuing alternative strikers, they could end up playing a slightly longer game and waiting until Newcastle are desperate to offload their No 14 in January. In reality it will be a major surprise if this saga endures that long. Indeed a careful reading of Newcastle's statement conveys a hint that maybe it is part of a haggling manoeuvre as the club's Saudi Arabian owners aim to extract the maximum possible price from their Anfield counterparts. As the former Newcastle and Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez used to say: 'All football is a lie.' In their statement on Tuesday night Newcastle said: 'We have been clear that the conditions for a sale this summer have not transpired. We do not foresee these conditions being met.' The conditions in question refer to the need for Newcastle to sign two strikers to not merely replace Isak but also Callum Wilson, who is now at West Ham. There is a theory that Isak's withering social media outburst reflected his frustration at the club's unwillingness to pay Brentford's £50m-£60m asking fee for Yoane Wissa to fill at least one of those slots. In an uncanny parallel, Wissa has also absented himself from first-team involvement at his club as he attempts to seal a longed‑for move to St James' Park. The ostensibly weird thing about the proposed Wissa deal is that the Saudis want £150m for Isak but have offered Brentford £40m for the DR Congo forward. Statistics can be deceptive but in this case they seem pretty compelling. Last season Wissa scored 19 goals in 35 Premier League appearances. Significantly, none were penalties. Isak, meanwhile, scored 23 times in 34 league appearances for a much stronger side. Four of his goals were also penalties. There is a reasonable case for claiming that Isak's all-round game is superior to Wissa's, but Brentford watchers demur, making the point that Wissa is also a pretty useful attacking threat from wide on the left. The big difference is that Wissa is three years older than Isak. Perhaps more importantly, while three years remain on Isak's contract with Newcastle, there is only one year left on Wissa's with Brentford. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Newcastle's £40m offer for Wissa, made on Wednesday afternoon, was swiftly rejected by Brentford but the hope of the club's Saudi owners will be that a deal will eventually be done. They also know that keeping Isak for another year could prove rather pointless given that he is clearly not committed to Howe's cause and next summer's price for a then 26-year-old with two years left on his contract is going to be nowhere near £150m. Despite appearances to the contrary, the prospect of such a dwindling profit margin means it is still eminently possible to envisage Isak waking up as a Liverpool player on 2 September. Similarly, Jørgen Strand Larsen or Gonçalo Ramos could join Wissa on Tyneside by the time the transfer window has shut. And should that all transpire, what's for sure is that Newcastle's dressing room would be an infinitely healthier, happier place.
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Football Daily Isak's social statement & who else is on the move?
Pien Meulensteen is joined by former Premier League midfielder Michael Brown and BBC Senior Football Correspondent Sami Mokbel for reaction to the latest football transfer news. What was the mood at the PFA Awards as Alexander Isak took to social media last night? Can the saga rumble on for much longer? How should Newcastle United respond? The team chat about Salah, Rogers and Trafford all picking up PFA awards and how each of their futures look. For the English players, what do they now need to do to make Tuchel's World Cup squad? We get the latest on Wissa and Garnacho's expected transfers before the panel consider what Arsenal need to do now that it looks like Havertz might be out injured for a number of weeks. Football commentaries this week: Saturday 23rd August PREMIER LEAGUE: Brentford v Aston Villa 1500 KO, live on 5 Live. PREMIER LEAGUE: Burnley v Sunderland 1500 KO, live on Sports Extra. PREMIER LEAGUE: Arsenal v Leeds United 1730 KO, live on 5 Live. Sunday 24th August PREMIER LEAGUE: Everton v Brighton 1400 KO, live on 5 Live. PREMIER LEAGUE: Crystal Palace v Nottingham Forest 1400 KO, live on Sports Extra. PREMIER LEAGUE: Fulham v Manchester United 1630 KO, live on 5 Live. Timecodes: 1:31 Isak and Newcastle United's social media statements 3:21 How did it go down at the PFA awards? 13:57 What would Michael do as a Newcastle player in this scenario? 15:45 What does Isak do if he doesn't get the move to Liverpool? 17:54 PFA Award winners 18:53 Mo Salah after winning the PFA award 29:41 Latest on Wissa and Garnacho 34:43 Kai Havertz injury and how that changes Arsenal's transfer window
Metro
4 hours ago
- Metro
Newcastle star 'likes' post slamming Alexander Isak as Liverpool plot second bid
Alexander Isak has made it clear he wishes to leave Newcastle for Liverpool (Picture: Getty) Newcastle star Joelinton has made his stance clear on Alexander Isak's conduct after 'liking' a social media post criticising the 'destructive path' the forward has taken this summer. Isak informed Newcastle's hierarchy of his desire to seek opportunities elsewhere last month and the situation has turned increasingly bitter in the proceeding days and weeks. Liverpool have emerged as Isak's priority for the new campaign and the 25-year-old – the Magpies' top scorer with 27 goals last term – has been training alone after opting out of Newcastle's pre-season tour of Asia. An impassioned post from Isak on Tuesday evening accused Newcastle of 'breaking promises' and holding him to ransom with just a fortnight remaining of the transfer window. The Toon responded with an explosive statement of their own, refuting Isak's claims while also stressing that they would be prepared to stand in the way of the Swede's potential exit at St James' Park. It remains to be seen if Liverpool will return with a follow-up bid for Isak having seen an initial offer of £110million – plus add-ons – rejected out of hand by their Premier League rivals.. The latest reports suggest the English champions would be willing to break the British transfer record for a second time this summer by lodging a £130m bid for Isak before the September 1 deadline. The Sweden striker has accused Newcastle of 'broken promises' (Picture: Getty) Liverpool are reportedly considering a second bid for Isak (Picture: Getty) How to watch 215 Premier League matches this season (Picture: Metro/Sky Sports) Sky Sports is going full throttle this Premier League season, airing a record-breaking 215 live matches - that's nearly double the usual dose of drama, goals, and post-match meltdowns. From Friday night clashes to Super Sundays and even all ten final-day fixtures, Sky's new deal means fans won't miss a single nutmeg or last-minute screamer. Whether you're team Sky Q, Sky Glass, or prefer streaming via NOW, you're covered. And with pundits like Jamie Carragher probably already rehearsing their 'I told you so' lines, expect top-tier commentary alongside top-tier football. As Pep might say, 'More games, more problems - for the other teams.' Check out the latest deals from Sky here, starting from £15 a month. Metro journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission – learn more. However, it's understood Newcastle are refusing to waver from their £150m asking price and would only consider selling if they are confident they can bring in a viable replacement. Yoane Wissa remains Newcastle's top target up front, but Brentford turned down their initial proposal for the attacker and are believed to be holding out for a fee in excess of £50m. It's fair to say Isak's conduct has left many Newcastle fans furious, with loud chants of, 'There's only one greedy b******', heard in the away end at Villa Park last weekend. And it seems Isak's behaviour has begun to seriously frustrate and anger members of the Newcastle dressing room – that's if Joelinton's social media antics are anything to go by. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page With the situation threatening to descend into a farce, several eagle-eyed Newcastle fans spotted that Joelinton had 'liked' an Instagram post from fan page, Wor Flags, condemning Isak's actions in recent weeks. 'Idolised and adored. No promises broken by the fans that make this club,' the post read. 'We deserve better than the destructive path you've chosen. 'Newcastle United will never be defeated.' Joelinton 'liked' a post hitting out at Isak's 'destructive' behaviour (Picture: Instagram/@worflags) Despite Isak's hardline position, Eddie Howe has repeatedly stressed that he would be prepared to welcome the attacker back into the fold as soon as he is ready to rejoin his team-mates. 'Nothing has changed. The door is well and truly open,' the Newcastle head coach said. 'He has to decide what he wants to do. We would like a resolution. We need that clarity. You don't need any kind of distraction. 'I am not in control of that. There is one person who can control that. Let's wait and see. I have made my stance clear. I am concentrating on the team.' Howe is ready to reintegrate Isak back into the squad (Picture: Getty) Asked about the chants directed at Isak from Newcastle fans, Howe replied: 'The supporters acted really well today. 'If afterwards, they want to say something, they are free to do that.' Speaking after Newcastle's goalless draw with Aston Villa, Anthony Gordon admitted the uncertainty surrounding Isak's future had contributed to a 'difficult' start to the season. More Trending 'It has been difficult because we're a tight-knit group,' the Newcastle winger said. 'But you see today, we've still got that spirit and togetherness. 'That will never go, regardless of individuals. We're still together. Things like this can make you better in the end.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Arrow MORE: Eberechi Eze makes decision over Arsenal transfer as Gunners hijack Tottenham move Arrow MORE: Alan Shearer tells Alexander Isak to take drastic action amid Liverpool transfer 'mess'
