Alexander Isak of Newcastle United in action during the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion FC and Newcastle United FC at Amex Stadium on May 04, 2025 in Brighton, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)placeholder image
Alexander Isak of Newcastle United in action during the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion FC and Newcastle United FC at Amex Stadium on May 04, 2025 in Brighton, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Everything Eddie Howe said on Alexander Isak after Newcastle United’s goalless draw at Aston Villa.
Isak is refusing to train and play for Newcastle in an attempt to force a move to Liverpool and as a result missed the Premier League opener away to Aston Villa on Saturday.
Anthony Gordon was deployed as the makeshift striker as his and his teammates’ efforts were applauded by the travelling Geordies at full-time following a goalless draw at Villa Park.
Attention then turned to the absent Swede, with chants of “one greedy b-----d” and “we don’t care about Isak, he don’t care about me, all we care about is NUFC” heard from the away end.
While Howe admitted fans are “free to” express their feelings, United’s head coach continues to “leave the door well and truly open” for the 25-year-old to reintegrate into the squad.
The Magpies face Liverpool at St James’ Park next Monday. Here’s everything Howe said on Isak after the draw with Aston Villa.
Is it too easy to say you didn’t win because you didn’t have Alex, or do you want to move away from that narrative?
“Well, I don't think it's the narrative we want to go down, because it's easy to say when you've got no way of knowing if that's the case.
“Of course you're going to miss someone that scored the goals that Alex has, and not just the goals, but the calibre of player that he is. So we're not silly enough to think any different, but we just have to look and talk about the players that are here and what they've given today.
“It's very easy for the players to have a feeling of negativity going into the game, or an excuse they're not ready, but there was no sign of that in our performance. That's why I'm so pleased with everybody, and it's one game out of a season of 38 in the Premier League, so we're not going to react to it either way, but today was very good.”
It was a good thing that the fans didn’t chant about Alex during the game?
“I think we never doubted the supporters would be right behind us today. They always have been. They've never left our side in any difficult moment, so I was really, really proud of that connection between them and us.
“At the end of the game, it's always a beautiful moment for me when we thank them for coming and they thanked us for the performance. So, fingers crossed, it's up to us to keep that relationship as strong as it has been.”
Is the door still slightly open for Alex, or has nothing changed since we spoke on Friday?
“No, nothing's changed, but the door is well and truly open. But, yeah, he has to decide what he wants to do.”
Do the chants bring home the need for a resolution to this?
“We would like a resolution. When I say we, I'm talking about myself and I'm sure the ownership of everyone, including the players that we have, because I think we need that clarity.
“This season, any season, every season is going to be hard enough. You don't need any kind of distraction to swerve your thoughts, to unbalance what we're doing. But I'm certainly not in control of that, I think there's only one person really that can control it.”
Will you make another effort to get Alex back involved next week?
“Let's wait and see. As I've said before, I think I've made my stance pretty clear.”
Can you clarify, in this situation, will Alex get a fine?
“I think that's for other people who are dealing with that issue. I am concentrating on the team.”
You said there's only one person who can resolve this situation…
“Well, being asked the question, do you want a resolution, that's pretty specific. But of course, Alex is in control of what he does, I'm not in control of him, so that was what I said.”
The fans are clearly unhappy with Alex - how difficult does that make a difficult situation?
“I'm not going to really have a bigger opinion on that. Whatever happens, I think the support has acted really well today because they supported the team, which is always my big ask, for me, to them is to support the team when we're playing. And they've done that unbelievably well in some difficult moments during the nearly four years.
“Not everything has been plain sailing, but that's a tricky moment but they've always been with the team. And then if afterwards they want to say something, I think they're very free to do that.”
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