Newcastle United Must Stand Firm As Liverpool Move For Alexander Isak

Everybody knew this was coming, none more so than the decision makers at Newcastle United. Alexander Isak is arguably the best striker in Europe and clubs were always likely to try and sign him; Liverpool developed into the most likely chasers in the spring and has finally shown its hand, making contact over a potential British record £120m ($161m) move for the Sweden striker.

The answer, as was always going to be the case, was a strong rejection of the advance, which is well below any sort of fee which would tempt Newcastle into selling at all.

Liverpool insists it hasn’t made an official bid for Isak because it knows what Newcastle thinks of the situation. The offer will only become concrete if Newcastle opens the door, but with three years on Isak’s contract at St James’ Park and the club already searching for a striker to replace the departed Callum Wilson, that looks very unlikely to happen.

After Isak scored the winning goal against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley in March, the Governor of the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, and Newcastle chairman, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, made it clear he was not to be sold.

The strength being shown is also predicated on confidence within Newcastle that Isak is happy at the club and will not agitate to leave. Talks over a new contract are planned but will be made more complicated by Liverpool’s position, and as much as Isak’s camp haven’t shut down the Reds advances, it is thought he would need to be explicit in his desire to make the transfer happen in order to change Newcastle’s attitude.

Even then, it would be difficult; the length of Isak’s existing deal means the power is very much in the club’s hands. Of course, things can change; but Isak has always insisted he is happy on Tyneside and there are big ambitions for the future, in the Champions League, with him very much at the forefront. The next 24 to 48 hours are said to be key.

The Hugo Ekitike subplot

There are plenty of moving parts in this story, evidenced by how different the situation looks now from Tuesday morning. As mentioned above, Newcastle needs a striker as it is, and has seen a club record £70m bid for Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike rejected. Talks with the club and player’s representatives have stepped up over recent days, with meetings in Austria where Newcastle are in pre-season training.

But Liverpool has identified Ekitike as a potential alternative to Isak, and as part of what has been seen as a “temperature check” on any deal with Newcastle, will move on to try and sign him if Plan A fails.

It has been seen as a huge power play by Liverpool in an attempt to change the narrative of something they don’t have control over. It is true that Newcastle really wants Ekitike, having now made three attempts to sign the player in the last four years, but losing out on him would in no way compare to the blow of Isak’s departure. The plan remains as it was for Ekitike to play alongside Isak in a busy season for Newcastle, with a possible succession plan in place if Isak leaves in a year or so.

Liverpool’s presence certainly alters the landscape in terms of Ekitike for Newcastle. It would be hard to see him opting for St James’ Park over Anfield given there is a clearer route to the central striker role, a greater chance of immediate success and higher wages on offer. But he has been available all summer and Liverpool has only tentatively entered the race with reports the club is not fully convinced by the 23-year-old, who scored 22 goals in all competitions last season.

What should Newcastle do next?

It is imperative Newcastle shows a strong hand in response to this move by Liverpool. While it could be seen as an attempt to show who is boss, the bid wasn’t actually made, the number was well below any interesting value and Isak himself is with the Newcastle squad training as normal. As of now, there is no threat.

If Liverpool signs Ekitike, it would be back to the drawing board after a summer of frustration, having missed out on other top targets like Bryan Mbeumo and Joao Pedro already. But that isn’t as certain as it may appear; the Reds have yet to make a bid for Ekitike, and Newcastle has pushed the narrative on. Sure, it may be more unlikely, but the plan was to pair Ekitike and Isak; it should continue to that end until it is no longer possible.

Whatever happens, selling Isak now would have disastrous consequences. Fans are already disgruntled after such a lack of transfer activity over the last couple of years, and the squad, currently preparing for a Champions League campaign, would take a huge blow in both numbers and morale. It would also mean needing to buy two strikers, replacing one who scored 26 goals last season, with a month to go until the season starts.

Newcastle’s plan has always been to rebuke interest in Isak this summer and tie him down to a new contract with a huge pay rise. If that can’t happen, then signing Wilson’s replacement now and adapting to a likely exit next summer is the next best thing. Selling now makes no sense and puts everything in jeopardy for Newcastle.

Standing firm has never been so crucial.