Newcastle United find themselves in a difficult situation regarding Alexander Isak’s contract.
Following the news that Anthony Gordon had signed a new Newcastle deal, the hope was that Alexander Isak would soon follow suit.
The 25-year-old is the next major star that Toon officials need to tie down to a new contract, with talks going on for months.
However, it was reported that Isak is currently not in talks with Newcastle, with discussions seemingly stalling between the club and his representatives. It was also claimed that Isak could leave Newcastle if they fail to qualify for the Champions League this season.
What Eddie Howe said about Alexander Isak’s contract situation
Before Sunday’s Premier League game against Chelsea, Eddie Howe was asked a lot of questions about Isak’s future at St James’ Park.
The Newcastle United manager played down the situation, describing it as ‘complex’.
“That’s a slightly more complex situation,” he said.
“Regarding contracts, I’m not involved in those discussions day to day. With Alex, he’s got a long contract anyway at the football club and we have to be really careful with our spending due to profit and sustainability rules. It’s not a clear-cut situation.
“We of course love him and are desperate for him to stay at Newcastle for many years and score loads of goals for us. I don’t see a short-term issue with his contract.”
How Isak’s representatives have reacted
However, TBR Football insider Graeme Bailey has told Geordie Boot Boys that the Isak contract situation has nothing to do with PSR, as he explains how the striker’s camp have reacted to the latest developments.
“From what I’m told, I don’t think Isak’s camp were particularly happy about what came out and how the story has been portrayed,” he said.
“They were in talks over a new contract. There are issues. Newcastle are putting it out there that it might be PSR-related. That’s not what I’m hearing. There are two sides to every story. I don’t think it’s a good look for Newcastle.
“We know that there’s interest in Isak from Arsenal and Chelsea.
“It just sums up where Newcastle are as a club at the moment. Nothing is as smooth as it once was. Even the Gordon contract took a lot of time to get done.”
When Isak’s Newcastle contract expires
In truth, Newcastle do not need to be in a rush to sort out Isak’s contract. His current deal runs until 2028.
Obviously, it would be great to sign him up to a longer contract, as that would give Newcastle United more security. However, that does not appear likely in the short-term.
It has been reported that Isak wants to sign a new contract, but his future might boil down to how the Magpies perform this season. He deserves to be in the Champions League, yet is not playing in Europe at all this season.
Newcastle know that they need to be in Europe to keep their best players. However, that is also dependent on how Newcastle’s best players play. So far this season, Isak has been nowhere near his best, while he infuriated Toon fans on Sunday as he selfishly passed up an incredible chance to equalise against Chelsea.
Eddie Howe sees Isak as his most valuable player, and will be doing all he can to keep him. However, that is also dependent on how Isak performs, because Newcastle are much more likely to qualify for Europe if he is regularly scoring goals.
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