Sweden manager Jon Dahl Tomasson has sought to defend his striker as he remains ostracised at Newcastle, saying we do not know the full story.
Newcastle fans turned on Isak after their Premier League opener, singing “There’s only one greedy b*****d” as he remains on strike as he pushes for a transfer to Liverpool.
Eddie Howe stressed on Saturday that he is ready for the situation to be “resolved quickly,” but that relies on Newcastle signing a striker before the September 1 deadline.
With Isak’s reputation taking a hit, his national manager, Tomasson, has sought to defend his character while insisting that “we don’t know the bigger picture.”
Tomasson told fotbollskanalen: “First of all, Alex is an extremely professional player. A fantastic character and personality. I have talked a lot with Alex during this period.
“Situations like this are quite complex. These are extremely complex environments that the players operate in. I’m sure it will work out in the end, but you have to know the whole picture before you draw conclusions. That’s always a good tip.
“I don’t think we know it (the whole picture). I don’t know the whole picture either. It’s quite normal because there’s a lot of politics in a football club.
“But one thing is for sure, Alex is a great guy and very professional. We should all be very careful about drawing conclusions because we don’t know the bigger picture.”
With the September internationals looming and Isak having not played a competitive game since May, Tomasson is hopeful he will be in team training soon to be ready for their World Cup qualifiers.
“There is time,” he added. “He is a professional and I know he has trained. Of course he has not trained with a team and has not played matches. Let’s wait and see.
“We will have a good talk, Alex and I, and hopefully he will be back in team training soon. Of course we have thought about it. I want to have my best players available and he is a fantastic player. But I can’t see into the future. It’s impossible.”
Liverpool fans growing ‘bored’ of transfer saga
Alexander Isak scores vs. Sunderland in FA Cup. January 2024 (Owen Humphreys/PA)
With Newcastle consistently failing to sign a replacement for Isak, Liverpool fans are growing both bored and frustrated by having the club’s forward plans held up by their failure in the market.
I'm so bored with this Isak saga. Whatever happens, I'll be so glad it's over. Mostly because it will get these deluded #nufc Geordies off my timeline. Bunch of dimwits
— Jose A De Oliveira (@josedo) August 18, 2025
Can we just bid for Isak and get in him or just fucking move on. I’m so bored of this all now. We need another attacker desperately and the fact we’re leaving it so late is worrying tbh. Guehi is a must as well. Need things to start happening quickly
— Elliott Payne (@Payna_LFC) August 18, 2025
Can we just hurry up and sign #Isak already coz I’m honestly bored now ?
— Jenny Devlin (@JennyDevlinx) August 17, 2025
It's going to be hilarious when Newcastle refuse to sell Alexander Isak and don't sign a forward, and then he still refuses to play until January and joins Liverpool for £100m.
Amateur hour on Tyneside this transfer window.
— Anything Liverpool (@AnythingLFC_) August 18, 2025
The only reason Alexander Isak remains a Newcastle player is because they've been rejected by João Pedro, Matheus Cunha, Liam Delap, Benjamin Sesko, Hugo Ekitike and a few others this summer. You can't dress this up as a win. It's a massive failure. https://t.co/umVU5hJPCm
— Sam McGuire (@SamMcGuire90) August 18, 2025
I have a feeling Alexander Isak to Liverpool isn't happening.
Newcastle have been so utterly abysmal with their business in this window – kneejerking all over the place – they've simply not left enough time.
Seems bizarre.
— smtm_lfc1975 ??2??0???? (@smtm_lfc1975) August 18, 2025
We're reaching a critical juncture. Liverpool needs two attackers in the door before the window closes in 2 weeks. When do the club park the Isak offensive and move on?
— Steve McVeigh (@Boxingscience20) August 18, 2025
Liverpool have made it clear they are prepared to break the British transfer record for Isak, but Newcastle have been rejected by several targets to leave the Reds’ forward plans on standby.
However Isak’s future is resolved, there will be plenty to uncover from all sides once it is.