Alexander Isak has finally completed a British record transfer from Newcastle United to Liverpool.
After a long and drawn-out transfer saga, the 25-year-old finally got the move he had been hoping for, but he lost the trust of an entire fanbase in the process.
Alexander Isak’s move to Liverpool came at the end of a summer transfer window which was far from kind to Newcastle United, despite the signing of six senior players. There were multiple attempts from club figures to get him back on board and bring him back into training, but he refused.
Now, Isak is a Liverpool player, which will come as a relief to some fans. Newcastle’s statement was extremely blunt, and no doubt reflected how some top figures from inside viewed the whole saga. It has been a mess from start to finish, with the Magpies having to sell for £25m less than they valued him.
The deal is still a British record sale, and Newcastle will benefit generously from a PSR perspective. While the saga was made public towards the end of the summer window, club insiders shared that it was an issue before then.
- Who is Alexander Isak? The striker who burned his Newcastle United reputation to force £125m Liverpool transfer
Alexander Isak was not himself weeks before asking to leave Newcastle United
While there was still internal hope that Isak would stay at Newcastle past the summer transfer window, it was clear that the damage had been done. In August, Isak released a statement claiming promises were broken and that the lines of trust had been blurred as a result.
Jamie Reuben even met with Isak in an attempt to bring him back into training, but even he was unable to do anything about his intention to leave.
In the end, the club had no choice but to sell him and reluctantly give the Swedish striker his wish.
His feelings had been brewing for a while, however, according to the Chronicle, one Newcastle insider knew something was wrong during their pre-season camp in Austria.
“In Austria, it was clear something was wrong,” they said.
“He then didn’t travel with the squad to Celtic or on to the Far East.
“It wasn’t just the agent turning his head, he was keen to leave. The staff knew if he didn’t go to Singapore and South Korea that he’d be off, and so it proved.”
Newcastle United must quickly move on from the Alexander Isak saga
The transfer window is closed, and so is the book on Isak’s Newcastle career. Unfortunately, it is not the fairytale ending fans would have liked.
Many believed Isak was already a Newcastle legend for scoring the winning goal in the Carabao Cup final and playing his part in Champions League qualification. However, his actions over the summer made his position at the club untenable, and his exit was much more of a probability than a possibility.
Newcastle must now look forward to what is coming down the road. Champions League nights, a cup to defend for the first time in 56 years, there is so much excitement in store this season, so it is important that Isak now remains a thing of the past.
Howe has already welcomed two new strikers in Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade. While they are not on the same level as Isak, the hope is that they can still be a major success on Tyneside and give Newcastle the boost they need to have a successful season.
The transfer saga of one player should not define a successful transfer window for Newcastle, but in the end, it is likely all it will be remembered for.
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