Liverpool star Alexis Mac Allister has addressed Alexander Isak’s controversial move to the club from Newcastle United.
After a dramatic and draining transfer saga, Newcastle United sold Isak to Liverpool for a British record fee.
It was a bruising saga and Newcastle insiders do accept that their squad is notably weaker without Isak.
Hopefully, Newcastle are not put through such a dreadful experience again. While there will no doubt be interest in some of their players next summer, supporters will be loath to go through another episode as ugly as the Isak one.
Indeed, it was such a draining saga that even the likes of Mac Allister were annoyed by it.
- Who is Alexander Isak? The striker who burned his Newcastle United reputation to force £125m Liverpool transfer
Alexis Mac Allister speaks on Alexander Isak saga
The Argentine was speaking to TNT Sports before Liverpool’s win over Everton in the Merseyside Derby on Saturday afternoon.
Isak, who made his debut for the Reds against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, came on for the last twenty or so minutes at Anfield but did not do much to impact the game.
Mac Allister has revealed that even the Liverpool squad grew tired of the protracted saga and months of speculation.
He also admitted that Newcastle might not be happy with Isak’s behaviour before he left, which feels like quite the understatement. The Argentine, however, insisted that such a saga is simply part of football and that banking such a big fee was good for the club.
- READ MORE: Liverpool chairman shares interesting ‘feeling’ towards signing Alexander Isak from Newcastle United
“At the beginning, it was a big thing and after a while we got a bit tired because it was too long,” he said.
“But we all know the player he is. He is going to be really, really important and we are happy to have him here.
“Maybe the other club are not happy but that’s the way football works, they paid quite a lot of money so I think it’s good for both clubs.
“It’s good for him because it’s what he wanted, we are so chuffed to have him because we know the player that he is and we suffered against him a couple of times as well.”
Alexander Isak stopped Newcastle United from signing Hugo Ekitike
Isak joined former Newcastle transfer target Hugo Ekitike at Anfield, giving Arne Slot a fearsome frontline.
From a Newcastle perspective, the sight of the two together is rather galling. At least one of them could well have been playing in Eddie Howe’s side on Tyneside this season.
Indeed, a French journalist has recently suggested that Ekitike would have joined Newcastle if he knew that Liverpool were going to sign Isak.
Speaking on BBC Radio Five Live, Julien Laurens said: “I really don’t think so.
“Remember he signed for Liverpool after a first approach from Liverpool to Newcastle for Isak, when Newcastle closed the door.
“And I think, probably from a Liverpool point of view, that was before Isak went on strike. They kind of reverted to Ekitike, who was on his way to Newcastle in the first place because he was supposed to be the replacement for Isak.”
Ekitike already has three goals in five Premier League games for Liverpool, while Isak is yet to score.
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