Simon Jordan has discussed whether Newcastle United’s reputation has taken a hit after losing Alexander Isak to Liverpool.
The transfer window has closed and it will come as a relief to Newcastle United, who have endured a stressful summer.
After holding out for so long, Alexander Isak finally got his way and sealed a deadline day move to Liverpool for a British transfer record of £125m.
It’s a climbdown from the £150m Newcastle were demanding all summer, but Eddie Howe has at least got the distraction out of the way.
In Isak’s place comes Yoane Wissa, with Newcastle spending £55m to sign the striker from Brentford.
Wissa’s arrival took Newcastle’s summer spending to £260m following the signings of Anthony Elanga, Aaron Ramsdale, Malick Thiaw, Jacob Ramsey and Nick Woltemade.
It’s by far the most PIF have spent in a single transfer window since buying Newcastle but some have questioned whether the Isak saga has damaged their reputation.
Simon Jordan doesn’t think so.
Alexander Isak looks on during a Premier League game between Newcastle United and Everton.
Photo by George Wood/Getty Images
Simon Jordan doesn’t think Alexander Isak transfer will damage Newcastle United
Speaking on TalkSport on transfer deadline day, Jordan explained that losing out on a star player to the best team in the country is something clubs of Newcastle’s stature will have prepared for.
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“Liverpool are a bigger club,” he said. “If it were Aston Villa buying it would do a lot of damage to Newcastle.
“If it’s Newcastle competing against a legacy football club, like Liverpool, the current Premier League champions, you bake it into your thinking.
“Newcastle got Liverpool up by £15m. Whether we like it or we don’t like it, that was the outcome.”
However, that doesn’t mean Jordan wasn’t scathing in his appraisal of Isak’s conduct and how players are now forcing through transfers.
“The player’s behaviour, reprehensible,” he continued. “The union’s silence, pathetic. The culture of football, not to be admired, but it is what it is.
“In the interest of a commercial outcome, this is business. The only thing different about a contract is it doesn’t cut both ways.
“Because if the club stands down a player, they’ve still got to pay him. If a player stands down a club, he seems to be able to do what he wants, and that can’t be something that people admire.”
It’s not only losing Isak where Newcastle have struggled this summer, though, but by being rejected by several top targets for other clubs, too.
Jordan praises Newcastle for getting £125m out of Liverpool for Alexander Isak
Though the £125m price Newcastle are getting for Isak is significantly lower than their £150m demands, Jordan believes the Magpies have done well to get Liverpool to raise their bid by £15m.
He added: “Newcastle played their cards until they got Liverpool up to £125m and got the player to take a £5m chip on a loyalty payment.
“So at the end of the day, while it looks like the players have had their say, the contract has still been worth something because the clubs have leveraged it for a financial return.”
Though he does believe PIF could have kept Isak if they really wanted to, but instead made a ‘commercial’ decision.
“A contract is about how much balls you’ve got to defend it. If you really wanted to dig in, if the Saudis really wanted to dig in and say to Isak: ‘you will do as you’re told.’
“Then the contract is worth something, but they made a commercial decision.
“The commercial decision, at the end of the day, Liverpool didn’t get what they wanted, which was £110m, Newcastle didn’t get what they wanted, which was £150m, they’ve met in the middle, and the player goes off and hopefully he gets exactly what he deserves.”