JEREMY CROSS COLUMN: The on-going stand off between Newcastle United and Alexander Isak is the perfect example of how bonkers top level football has become.
19:42, 11 Aug 2025Updated 19:43, 11 Aug 2025
Jeremy Cross
Jeremy joined the Daily Star in 2010 as Manchester football correspondent and for more than a decade has served as our Chief Sports Writer. He provides expert coverage on Manchester United and Manchester City, the Premier League as a whole, and the England football team. Jeremy has covered football, rugby and cricket World Cups, as well as Wimbledon, the golf majors and the Olympics.
Alexander Isak reacts
Alexander Isak's future is looks uncertain(Image: Getty Images)
To recap. Isak wants a move to Liverpool. Newcastle don't want to sell their star striker. and have rejected a bid of £110m.
The upshot of this is that Isak continues to train on his own, while Newcastle appear to have reached their seventh choice target as a potential replacement, should a deal get done.
All this is going on with the new Premier League season less than week from kicking off.
Isak, let's not forget, has a contract at Newcastle until 2028.
In what other industry on the planet would an employee attempt to control a scenario which would see them leave their job, despite signing an agreement to carry out said job?
File photo dated 07-01-2025 of Eddie Howe (left), who admits the Alexander Isak situation is “far from ideal” but still hopes to see the unsettled star back in a Newcastle shirt after confirming the club rejected an offer from Liverpool. Issue date: Saturday August 2, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: John Walton/PA Wire.
Eddie Howe has been left in a tricky situation(Image: PA)
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At most companies, this would be a sackable offence.
Newcastle should continue to stand firm when it comes to Isak.
Tell him he belongs to them, is paid well by them, and that he has to get his head down and do what he's remunerated to do.
In short, stop acting like a spoiled brat.
Game comes together
Rugby League might get a lot of things wrong in its continued struggle to become a mainstream sport.
But when it comes to looking after its own, there doesn't appear to be a sport to touch it.
Take the tragic but inspiring case of Andrew Foster and his son Rycroft.
If there is one example of how the game comes together in someone's hour of need, this might be the most valuable one of all.
Foster, who is a lifelong Bradford Bulls fan, was left devastated when Rycroft was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder called Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome just weeks after his birth in 2022.
Doctors told him and his wife Catherine their son would need a stem cell transplant.
Andrew Foster
Andrew Foster whose son Rycroft was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder(Image: andrewfoster101/X)
No-one in their immediate family was a compatible donor, so doctors turned to the stem cell register, where a match was found.
Rycroft had a transplant and his health was improving, until he suffered an infection and died, aged just 16 months.
But despite dealing with unimaginable grief, Foster is using a combination of his son's memory and the platform of Rugby League, to improve the chances of something so tragic never happening again.
On September 6, the London Broncos will team up with blood cancer charity DKMS to host 'Emilia's Big Day'.
The event, which will take place before the Broncos host the Bulls, encourages rugby supporters to become potential lifesavers by joining the stem cell donor register.
Emilia Mackay was just five when she was diagnosed with a rare and life-threatening blood disorder.
She needed a stem cell transplant, but with no immediate match, a worldwide search began to find a stranger who could save her life.
Emilia's Big Day
Emilia's Big Day is being held on September 6(Image: andrewfoster101/X)
Which subsequently happened, thanks to someone in Germany.
Foster doesn't want Rycroft's brief life to have been in vain.
Not least because someone in the UK is diagnosed with blood cancer every 14 minutes, but just seven per cent of the eligible population are currently registered as possible donors.
Foster said: "Rycroft was so unlucky not to make the full recovery, which a stem cell transplant has offered to so many others.
"But his transplant gave us more time with him, and every single day was so precious.
"It's not until your child needs a transplant, that you realise how little most people know about stem cell donation.
"It's such an amazing thing to do, and to honour Rycroft’s memory, I wanted to reach more people with that message."
Emilia's dad James Mackay said: "Emilia's donor changed everything for us. The kindness of a random stranger means that my daughter has been given another chance at life.
"We are so excited for the event with Broncos and DKMS. We won't just be celebrating Emilia, we'll also be adding more people to the register ,so that more patients like her can get a second chance at life".
We've seen the super human efforts of Kevin Sinfield, in helping Motor Neurone Disease sufferers, following the death of his old team-mate and pal Rob Burrow.
And now this vital cause as well.
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Which is a heartwarming reminder never to underestimate the power of sport. Especially Rugby League.
The event starts at 2pm at the Cherry Red Records Stadium, with the game kicking off at 4pm. For more information go to www.dkms.org.uk/emilia-broncos