The saga surrounding the Swedish hitman was finally concluded on deadline day as he completed a move to Anfield for a British record £130m fee.
Alexander Isak has spoken about his upbringing in Sweden
Alexander Isak has spoken about his upbringing in Sweden
(Image: Martin Rickett/PA Wire)
Stuart Pearce slammed Alexander Isak’s lack of loyalty to Newcastle United after the striker’s big-money move to Liverpool.
The saga surrounding the Swedish hitman was finally concluded on deadline day as he completed a move to Anfield for a British record £130m fee.
Isak helped Newcastle end their trophy drought last season but effectively went on strike over the summer to force through a move, which former Magpies left-back Pearce could not get his head around.
“He was very entrenched in his mentality of what he wanted to do and where his future lay,” he said.
“I find it very sad as an ex-player, and as an ex-Newcastle player, especially as Newcastle won silverware for the first time in a number of decades. All of a sudden, they've got a situation where they've sort of been destabilised a little bit.
“I think somewhere down the line, the player has got to look at the situation and say, ‘you know what? Newcastle have been brilliant for me’, and sometimes you have to repay a little bit of loyalty.
“But so much has gone on at the club over a period of time.”
Alexander Isak signs for Liverpool
Alexander Isak signs for Liverpool(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
The former England captain likened the situation to when Pierre van Hooijdonk refused to play for another of his old clubs, Nottingham Forest, in the late 1990s and was full of praise for how Eddie Howe has managed the situation.
“Eddie’s handled it brilliantly, as well as you possibly can do,” he continued.
“He’s become a really measured manager with a lot of experience now. I find it sad because Isak is an outstanding talent and I was at the Villa game [on the opening weekend of the season] and Newcastle lacked a real goalscoring threat, and that threat was Isak.
“Eddie will be frustrated behind the scenes, and he's had to bite his lip, make no mistake about that.”
Stuart Pearce was speaking in his role as a Pitching In ambassador
Stuart Pearce was speaking in his role as a Pitching In ambassador
Pearce was speaking on a visit to Southern League Division One South side Sporting Club Inkberrow as part of his role as a Pitching In ambassador to promote the role of volunteers at non-league clubs.
“The importance of volunteers is massive, clubs at this level wouldn’t function without them,” he said.
“I know what it's done for me in those early years from the age of 16 to 21, when the club gave me the chance to come in and help me get to the pro game. You can sense the feel-good-factor, and the community feel, that’s something you don’t really get in the pro game.
Stuart Pearce tries volunteering at Sporting Club Inkberrow!
Stuart Pearce tries volunteering at Sporting Club Inkberrow!
“With non-league volunteering, it’s about making people feel involved. They are the people who put the games on, and we should be grateful to them for what they do.”