The Magpies summer was dominated by two major decisions by the Anfield club
Newcastle United's Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade and Liverpool's Hugo Ekitke
Newcastle United strikers Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade and Liverpool's Hugo Ekitke(Image: )
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Schadenfreude is not an attractive emotion, but you could forgive any Newcastle United fan who has enjoyed a wry smile at Liverpool's 'struggles' so far this season.
Arne Slot's men have been a pale shadow of the side which breezed to the Premier League title last term, regularly dropping points against so-called lesser sides and trailing in the wake of Arsenal, Man City and Aston Villa at the top of the table.
Saturday's 1-1 home draw with second-bottom Burnley was the latest setback in long line for the Anfield club, that comes after a summer transfer window that saw them invest heavily in the squad.
Two of those deals - the signings of Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike - had a huge impact on Newcastle's own summer spending, and it's something the Magpies are still feeling the affects of now.
Anyone who watched United struggle to break down a dogged Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday could not help thinking how things could have been different if Isak or Ekitike were in black-and-white stripes.
To recap, United were forced to act late in the window to sign Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa after missing out on Ekitike, who chose Liverpool over Newcastle.
Isak had already made it clear he wished to leave for Anfield, but United would not budge from their valuation, and Liverpool waited until almost the last possible minute to cough up.
That left Newcastle in a scramble to sign replacements - and Sunday's stalemate was the result.
Let's be clear, Woltemade is a huge talent and is still very much learning his game. He already has 14 goal involvements in his first few months on Tyneside and will prosper when United figure out how to get the best from him.
Wissa was struck down by a knee injury that kept him out until December and is only now approaching full match fitness, something which has been hugely detrimental to establishing himself as a United player.
We know he has Premier League predigree with Brentford and he will score goals, but like Woltemade, his confidence appears low.
It's hard to argue that Newcastle didn't overpay for both. £124m for the pair is steep in anyone's estimation, but the truth is they had very little choice thanks to Liverpool's intervention.
United had Ekitike lined up as the idea Isak replacement, only for Liverpool to barge into negotiations with Eintracht Frankfurt and turn the player's head.
In fairness to the French frontman, the offer of playing for the Premier League champions, who have a genuine chance of Champions League success, is a hard one to turn down, and Liverpool are entitled to bid for who they want.
But it meant United were even less inclined to accept anything but their asking price for Isak, and dragged the saga on for another month.
Should Newcastle have allowed the Swede to leave for less? Why should they? After all, Brentford and Stuttgart demanded large fees for Wissa and Woltemade, as is well within their rights.
United have consistently received huge asking prices when they come knocking for targets - Marc Guehi and Jorgen Strand Larsen are just two that stand out.
So while it may have been preferable in hindsight to bite the bullet get the Isak deal done early, you could argue it was Liverpool's refusal to meet the valuation until the clock had almost ticked down on the window, that cost Newcastle.
Would United really have gambled on Woltemade if they had had more time to act? We won't ever know, and I repeat that the German will turn out to be an astute signing.
But thanks to Liverpool's double interference, Newcastle are still struggling to get to grips with their new forward options, so you'll forgive United fans for enjoying the frustrations on Merseyside.
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