Former Newcastle United stakeholder Amanda Staveley has had her say on Alexander Isak's transfer to Liverpool
Alexander Isak left Newcastle United during the summer transfer window to join Liverpool
Alexander Isak left Newcastle United during the summer transfer window to join Liverpool
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Former Newcastle United minority stakeholder Amanda Staveley has revealed that she and Mehrdad Ghodoussi "love" Alexander Isak and are confident he will flourish at Liverpool. The Reds completed the signing of Isak from the Magpies during the summer transfer window after months of intense speculation.
Despite rapidly establishing himself as a supporters' favourite at St James' Park, contributing 62 goals and 11 assists across 109 matches, Isak expressed a desire to join Liverpool and link up with Arne Slot's side.
The striker did not train with his former Newcastle teammates for much of the summer and did not feature in a pre-season friendly before eventually completing his move to Anfield, reports Chronicle Live.
Isak subsequently completed a £125million transfer to Anfield on deadline day, and has since gone on to score just one goal for Liverpool, which came against Southampton in the Carabao Cup. The Sweden international is yet to find the back of the net in the Premier League for the Reds this term.
Despite the dramatic nature of the transfer saga, Staveley has recently stated that she harbours no resentment towards Isak, even suggesting he will perform "really well" at his new club.
"I'm so proud of Newcastle and how they're doing," Staveley told Sky Sports, while alongside her husband, Ghodoussi, while attending Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn II on Saturday evening at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
"And you know, we love Alex and we know he's going to do really well at Liverpool. He's a great player - Liverpool have got an extraordinary player, but equally so, it's great to see the [Newcastle] forwards doing so well and Newcastle performing really well."
Following Isak's exit, Newcastle moved swiftly to bring in Nick Woltemade from VfB Stuttgart, with the 23-year-old scoring four goals in eight Premier League outings for the Magpies so far. Isak will be hoping to rediscover his goal-scoring form for Liverpool after the international break, having seen a groin injury disrupt his season.
Amanda Staveley speaks to Sky Sports
Ex-Newcastle chief Amanda Staveley has backed Isak to come good
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The Sweden striker admitted he was 'frustrated' by his start to life at Anfield after coming on as a second-half substitute to play 32 minutes in Sweden's 4-1 defeat against Switzerland. He said: "It was about half an hour. It felt okay,” he told Sportbladet. “I feel like the reaction was good after the match in my body.
“Hopefully I can play properly in the next match (against Slovenia on Tuesday). “It's always frustrating when you're injured. Regardless of whether it's one match or more. It's always worst for the player himself.
“It hasn't been optimal. But when I'm on the field, I don't give myself any excuses. I always want to play my game and perform. But yes, it's hard to be away and not be able to help and contribute. Now I'm back and I'm positive. There's not much that's easy in football. But with experience you learn to deal with things.
“That's how it is with injuries and all that. You learn to deal with it and get back on track the right way.”
The Reds return to Premier League action on November 22 where they will host Nottingham Forest at Anfield. That will be followed by a Champions League clash against PSV Eindhoven before travelling to West Ham in the top flight.
Isak will be determined to help Liverpool improve on their eighth-place position in the Premier League table. The Reds' 3-0 defeat to Manchester City before the international break leaves them eight points adrift of leaders Arsenal.
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