An incident between Virgil van Dijk and Alexander Isak took place earlier this year.
Virgil van Dijk has gone public in recent days to not-so-subtly order the Liverpool hierarchy to sign Alexander Isak.
After the Reds tasted defeat in the Community Shield, many pointed towards defensive reinforcements being the key. Hugo Ekitike - a former Newcastle United target on more than one occasion - impressed and scored just three minutes into his debut.
Was this really a team that needed a £150million striker? Van Dijk certainly thought so.
Virgil van Dijk sends clear transfer message
"Well, we just lost Darwin (Nunez), he went to Saudi Arabia, and we lost Lucho (Luis Diaz), obviously, he went to Bayern,” he told talkSPORT. “I think there's always room for an attacker in order to strengthen us so let's see what the window brings in terms of the balance of the team.
“I think we have more than enough options to be good enough to win (the Premier League) again. This is where I focus on myself. With the players we have, we should be able to win (against Crystal Palace) and score. That's actually what we did as well.”
Newcastle United scepticism kicks in
Newcastle fans will remember Van Dijk slyly having a word in Isak’s ear following the cup final earlier this year. The Dutchman shook hands with several Toon players but paid special attention to Isak - who scored the second in the 2-1 win.
He received a wry smile, with the Newcastle striker also returning a few words. This seemed an innocuous exchange at the time until Isak’s recent actions. The Swede has effectively gone on strike at St James’ Park to pursue a move to Liverpool. Isak has not kicked a ball in pre-season and is training alone ahead of the new campaign.
Speaking to reporters and even club legend Alan Shearer last season, Isak confirmed he is happy at Newcastle. But since Van Dijk’s comments at the weekend, his summer conduct and a revisit of the post-match Carabao Cup final chat, many are starting to believe the striker always had an ulterior motive.
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Eddie Howe talks Alexander Isak
Howe told reporters on Saturday that the Isak decision, ultimately, is out of his hands. He said: “That’s a decision that I won’t make. That will be for other people to make. For me, I’m just trying to manage the situation and manage the team, most importantly, manage the group of players that I’m working with day to day, that I love coaching and helping.
“We’re focusing on Aston Villa. Everything else, to a degree, from my perspective, is not in my control, so it’s not my focus. That’s not something I’m aware of (whether Isak has been told he must stay). Of course, there are discussions going on all the time that I’m not party to. I have no knowledge of that.”
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