Here we go again isak linked with a big money move and the noise is loud but eddie howe is not flinching he says he’s confident the swedish striker will stay but let’s be honest it’s not looking that simple isak didn’t even play in the celtic game and that’s not because of injury or fitness this time he travelled with the squad but howe sent him home before kick off not something you see every day the reason they gave was speculation around his future and yeah that says a lot
newcastle say isak is not for sale and they’ve slapped a price tag of 150 million pounds on him that’s a clear message to liverpool and arsenal who are both interested liverpool have stepped up their interest but newcastle told them straight he’s not for sale no formal bid yet but apparently there was an informal approach and howe didn’t like the noise around it arsenal also had an eye on him but now they’re chasing gyokeres from sporting so maybe they’ve backed off a bit for now
howe made it clear he doesn’t want to lose his star striker he even called isak irreplaceable and he’s not wrong isak scored 23 goals in the league last season he’s one of the few players in the league who can do it all pace dribbling finishing vision you name it and if he goes newcastle will be in serious trouble because they don’t even have a backup striker at the moment no plan b no plan c just isak and if he’s gone they’ll need to sign not one but two strikers in the middle of a tricky window
it’s clear the speculation is affecting isak otherwise why send him home joelinton was also not playing but he was in the stands watching and supporting the team isak couldn’t even do that because howe felt the tension was too high and that tells you everything the manager says he’s had conversations with isak and that the player is focused and training well but at the same time the decision to pull him from the squad screams distraction
the bigger picture here is that this situation is not going away anytime soon liverpool might come back with a huge offer and if they do it’s going to test newcastle’s resolve hard they need money they’re not man city or psg they have financial limits and 150 million is a lot of money if someone meets that price are they really going to say no that’s the big question and right now no one can say for sure
howe is trying to manage the situation the best he can but even he admitted isak’s future is a topic behind the scenes he says the swede will be on the flight to singapore for the next leg of preseason but again no one knows if he’ll still be a newcastle player by the end of august the window is long and the sharks are circling
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meanwhile on the pitch things didn’t look good against celtic they got smashed 4-0 and the performance was flat yes it’s just preseason yes the players are still getting fitness back but when you lose like that it opens up all the cracks elanga made his debut but the team looked off no isak no joelinton no hall no tino and it showed celtic were sharper faster stronger and it wasn’t even close
howe admitted it was a wake up call he said the players looked tired after a long week in austria and the goals they conceded were sloppy very unlike the newcastle of last season he said it was a useful test and they’ll be better for it but he knows there’s work to do the season is coming fast and the premier league doesn’t wait for anyone
keith downie from sky sports who was at the game said it best this loss shows newcastle need signings not just depth but quality they’ve only signed elanga so far this summer and now with the isak situation up in the air fans are getting nervous they want ambition they want to see the club push forward and losing their best striker would feel like a huge step back especially when rivals are strengthening every week
howe’s challenge now is not just to keep isak but to make sure he’s focused and locked in because a distracted striker is not a good thing especially when you’re playing in the champions league this season newcastle have big goals they want to challenge in europe and push again in the league and they can’t do that if their main man is thinking about liverpool or arsenal or anywhere else
newcastle’s owners want to build a long term project and keeping stars like isak is key to that but the pressure is on the manager and the board to deliver not just on the pitch but in the transfer market because every decision this summer will shape the season ahead the next few weeks will be huge for newcastle and for alexander isak because one way or another something big is coming
