Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak has been slammed by Ally McCoist for "poorly" handling his transfer situation, but manager Eddie Howe has been told he may need to offload him for the team's benefit.
The Swedish forward is pushing for a move to Liverpool and has made his desire to leave St James' Park clear to Newcastle's hierarchy. Adding fuel to the fire, the 25-year-old went to Spain for training without informing Howe while recovering from a thigh strain, as the rest of the squad were in the Far East for pre-season training.
McCoist commented: "I think he's acted poorly. Not all players but some players and people forget that if you sign a contract you are clearly happy with the contract. You can't sign a contract with the intention of doing well, throwing the toys out and demanding a move. You can't do that.
"If you sign a contract then you have to say 'I'm here for three years, four years and that I'm going to honour that contract. You sign it because you're happy with it. I think he's been poor. You can't behave like that. The one set of supporters that won't let you get away with it are Newcastle fans. It's hard to argue with them."
Despite Liverpool's failed £110million bid for Isak, they are not planning a second offer until they receive some indication from Newcastle that they are open to negotiations.
Howe has been attempting to secure a potential replacement for Isak, but his efforts to sign Benjamin Sesko were unsuccessful, with the player ultimately joining Manchester United. TNT Sports pundit McCoist suggests that Howe, who has been left frustrated by the whole situation, may need to consider letting Isak go if his presence could potentially cause issues within the team.
He stated: "Eddie has to show strength but the most important thing he has to do what is right for the team and the club. We might think leadership is Eddie going 'Right, get yourself fit and get back in this squad' but that might not be the best thing for Newcastle.
"We might say he's not been strong enough but what he is actually doing might be the best for Newcastle. Eddie might say to the owners 'I know you want £150m, I'm telling you now he will be a problem when he gets back in the dressing room so you're going to have to do something'.
"He might say 'I won't say this publicly but I don't want him back in the dressing room because he will cause me problems'. We don't know how Eddie is thinking.
"He has to do what is best for the team and club going forward. That might be accepting £20m less. But I don't know the situation. I don't think Isak has handled it well."
The Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Emirates FA Cup and Adobe Women’s FA Cup. All these competitions in one place, not normal! Get it all on TNT Sports and Discovery+