Alexander Isak agitating for a move away from Newcastle United should only shock the incredibly naive; the only surprising element of this developing story is that it has taken this long.
The Swede probably should have played his cards as soon as he realised that he was the hottest property in world football and that was somewhat at odds with his current club’s status as the fifth best team in the Premier League. Having been silent when he became Arsenal’s first-choice striker target, and kept his counsel when Liverpool’s interest solidified, he has waited until Hugo Ekitike was signed by the champions – at first glance in his stead – before making his feelings clear.
Obviously, he wants to leave Newcastle for Liverpool. Only the most one-eyed Toon fan would expect Isak to choose the north-east club over other, title-chasing options. It’s a nonsense to talk about loyalty, especially towards a club who slapped a £130-150m price tag on his gangly frame. You cannot value a player at British record levels and then expect him to be content to play outside the elite.
In truth, Newcastle needed Isak to do this, to make himself sellable by making himself the villain. Now the club can double their money and shrug their shoulders, silently mouthing ‘what could we do?’ and ‘no player is bigger than the club’ while demonstrating that yes, of course they are; Isak has absolutely outgrown Newcastle United.
I wrote in March – after the dopamine hit of the Carabao Cup win – that ‘Champions League qualification has to spark Champions League recruitment to remain in that exalted company’ to keep Isak and to a lesser extent Bruno Guimaraes at Newcastle. It’s fair to say – with a week remaining of July – that the recruitment has not been that of a Champions League club. Considerable money has been spent on Anthony Elanga but their only competition for the Swede was from Nottingham Forest.
Newcastle have found their pulling power has remained markedly weaker than that of Manchester United even from within the Champions League and Isak will have been painfully aware that as Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City have been courting the world’s best, Newcastle have been getting pied by Bryan Mbeumo, Joao Pedro and countless others.
Repeating the words ‘Alexander Isak is not for sale this summer’ was plain silly from Luke Edwards and other Newcastle propaganda merchants; he was always for sale for a price and it seems like Liverpool have that price (or at least the first instalment) sitting in their bank, as they look to complete the summer business to end all summer business.
Hidden among the propaganda about Ekitike being the best thing since Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe and sliced bread were hints that Arne Slot sees the Frenchman as a versatile attacking option that can also play wide; it’s a real possibility that the club sign both, as long as they can find buyers for Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz. For all the money already spent this summer, they still lag behind the Premier League’s biggest net spenders; there is wiggle room.
The noise coming out of Newcastle in the coming days will be that of defiance, but if Liverpool are willing to break the transfer record for Isak, then that move will happen. It’s an unstoppable force and Newcastle are not an immovable object. Players like Isak do not stay at clubs like Newcastle unless they were born within the sound of the Gallowgate roar. In a summer which has served as an illustration of football’s natural pecking order, this is possibly the most obvious of all upgrades.
