Eddie Howe Needs Help At Newcastle United Amid Alexander Isak Saga

Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe has said striker Alexander Isak’s future will be decided by the club’s ownership, in what could be perceived as the first public easing of its stance over the wantaway Sweden international. But his quotes were a pointed message to those above him too; he needs help.

Isak, 25, is not with Newcastle on its pre-season tour of Asia. Officially, the reason given is he is nursing a thigh strain, but speculation has been rife that the player wants to leave St James’ Park this summer, with Premier League champions Liverpool circling. Newcastle faces Arsenal in Singapore on Sunday, and although growing the club’s commercial appeal and revenue streams is the reason behind the trip, all anybody has focussed on is Isak and his future.

A week on from defeat at Celtic, Howe has again reiterated his desire for Isak to stay, but was noticeably less forthright in that view. Instead, he said he “hopes” Isak will be playing for Newcastle come September, but that ultimately it would not be down to him to make that call.

Fans have been frustrated by the lack of obvious direction from the top this summer. The ownership group, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, and Jamie Reuben, rarely if ever speak publicly, while CEO Darren Eales is serving his notice before departing without a confirmed successor and Paul Mitchell is yet to be replaced as sporting director.

“Of course there’s things going on behind the scenes,“ Howe said. ”I mean [Isak] will be aware he’s in the news every day, and I’m sure that’s not easy for anyone in that situation.

“Conversations that happen between Alex and the club or Alex and myself will stay private for obvious reasons. We do share a really good relationship with him. He’s been magnificent for us for as long as he’s joined. He’s very popular in the dressing room.

“We’d love him to continue his journey at Newcastle, and all I would say on the broader picture is whatever happens has to be right for Newcastle.

“The ownership, together with the board of directors, especially with the money involved in modern day transfers. The manager of course has an opinion, but ultimately the decision will rest with the board.”

Will Newcastle United sell Alexander Isak?

Newcastle has always maintained Isak is not for sale, but Howe is the most senior figure speaking publicly, with no member of the board on the tour. He has spoken of the difficulty of losing Mitchell in terms of man power when negotiating deals, and he is operating in a role far beyond the one he was hired to do in November 2021. Perhaps this was the first shot fired upstairs; he can’t and shouldn’t be doing everything.

“There’s always big decisions to make when you’re at Newcastle. I think that goes with the territory,” he added.

“I’m not actually having daily contact with anyone connected with the board. We’re out here. It’s been a whirlwind here in a sense of training and the intensity of what we’re doing.”

Captain Bruno Guimaraes was asked about Isak alongside defender Dan Burn upon the team’s arrival on Friday, and made it clear that he was in no position to comment on a team-mate beyond saying he is recovering from his injury on Tyneside. There is nothing official coming from anyone at the top, in part because nobody is really authorized to speak.

PIF Governor and Newcastle chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan wants Isak to stay. Yet Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal, also PIF owned, is said to be interested in a move for Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez, which would help the club fund its anticipated British record move for Isak, and has also made reportedly made an offer to Newcastle’s talisman itself. Talk about mixed messages.

There is an amateurish feel to the running of the club at the moment, and that certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed. There have been comparisons to summers under the previous owner Mike Ashley, when lack of communication, a skeletal staff in the boardroom and questions over motivation were the norm.

Supporters could be forgiven for thinking those days were long gone when the richest owners in the world came along four years ago and oversaw a first domestic trophy lift in 70 years and two Champions League qualifications.

But therein lies the issue. Howe has created an elite environment within the squad and on the training pitch: his domain. Yet the club is miles off that pace in terms of professionalism and direction at board level, with numerous transfer targets missed, instability in key roles and silence on things like the training ground and stadium plans.

While Howe’s work has helped develop Isak into a world class striker befitting of payment and success at the very top, the way the club has been run over the past year or so has contributed to him thinking he needs to go elsewhere to get them.

Officially, Newcastle remains clear that Isak will not be sold, but the club is reportedly pursuing RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko as a replacement. The diluting of Howe’s message on his future could be seen as him wanting a quick resolution to the saga, with the Premier League season kicking off in three weeks.

But it was also a sharp reminder to the people above him at Newcastle. This saga has come at the worst possible time for the club to react, but Howe can’t do everything; he has carried it on his back for too long and needs support. Immediately.