Despite Alexander Isak sitting out of the clash between his old club at Anfield - there were still a few questions that came the way of Eddie Howe on the Sweden star
Alexander Isak of Liverpool looks on during warming up prior to the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool
Alexander Isak is still out of action for Liverpool through injury(Image: (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images))
View Image
Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe admits the Magpies could check out of the January window without making a senior signing.
But says that the Magpies are still adjusting after being rocked by Alexander Isak's £125m departure last summer. Fans have questioned why money can't be spent this window with that Isak cash stash now in club coffers.
Howe has made it clear that PSR is still affecting Newcastle and that the money will probably be spent in summer 2026. For now, the head coach sees an opportunity for the likes of Jacob Ramsey, Nick Woltemade and Anthony Elanga to cement their squad status after mixed starts to their Toon careers.
When asked if he thought the market would continue to be quiet, Howe said: "I don't anticipate that changing, but with time left, there's still time for that to be the case."
And when asked on the impact of Isak's move, Howe said: "You lose a player like Alex - and let's put this right, Liverpool paid the money they did because he's an outstanding footballer, an unbelievable talent," he said.
"We were privileged to have him for the years that we had him. We loved working with him.
"He was an outstanding player. When you take that player away from your team, it's going to change the dynamics, that's for sure. Then you have to try to find a way of, not replacing him, but finding a player or players who can still make the team really effective.
"We're still in that moment and we've been trying to do that all season. I think the guys who have come in have done a very good job.
"But we're still finding ways to get the best out of the new players that we've signed without training, with very minimal time to do any work with them."
Isak will not face Newcastle at Anfield due to his ongoing recovery from a broken leg. Howe was pressed on what the departure was like in retrospect and said: “It was new for us. I don’t think we have been in that situation before. It was going on through pre-season so I’m not necessarily sure it brought us closer together. I don’t think it was that kind of moment, really.
"It was a distraction if I’m honest while we were trying to glue the squad together and trying to impose our culture and how we want to play. It was the most talked thing in world football in that moment so, ideally, we would not have that every summer.”
FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK!Keep up with all the Newcastle United latest via the Chronicle’s dedicated Facebook page
Here at ChronicleLive, we are dedicated to bringing you the best Newcastle United coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don't miss out on the latest NUFC news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day's biggest stories.
And, finally, if you would rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Everything is Black and White podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.
Content cannot be displayed without consent