Former Newcastle United forward and current Sweden manager Jon Dahl Tomasson has commented on Alexander Isak’s situation.
Isak hasn’t played competitive football since May, withdrawing from the last Sweden squad due to injury before missing all of Newcastle’s pre-season friendly matches due to a self-imposed exile.
The 25-year-old has withdrawn himself from Newcastle’s first-team squad in a bid to force through a move to Liverpool before September 1. He missed the opening Premier League match at Aston Villa on Saturday and will now be fined by the club as a result.
But Magpies head coach Eddie Howe insists the door is still open for Isak to return, having been issued his No. 14 shirt and named in the squad list for the 2025/26 campaign.
Following Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Villa Park, Howe said: “Nothing's changed, but the door is well and truly open,” Howe said about Isak. “But, yeah, he has to decide what he wants to do.
“We would like a resolution. When I say we, I'm talking about myself and I'm sure the ownership of everyone, really the players that we have, because I think we need that clarity.
“This season, any season, Premier League 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. So, yes, but I'm certainly not in control of that and I think there's only one person really that can control it.
When asked about Isak returning to the squad as soon as possible, Howe said: “Yeah, I mean, that's the quickest way. But, of course, Alex is in control of what he does. I'm not in control of him.”
Sweden boss addresses Alexander Isak situation
As things stand, Isak is set to remain at Newcastle against his wishes as he remains under contract until 2028 without a release clause. The only way that situation changes is if The Magpies are able to sign two strikers before the September 1 deadline.
Although Isak has received plenty of scrutiny and criticism externally, Howe has refrained from publicly criticising the player in an attempt to manage the situation. And Tomasson, who could be managing Isak as early as next month, has done the same.
“First of all Alex is an extremely professional player,' Tomasson told Swedish outlet Fotbollskanalen . “A fantastic character and personality. I have spoken to Alex a lot 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.”
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Tomasson will be announcing his Sweden squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Slovenia and Kosovo in September. Isak will be hoping to go to his first World Cup next summer and will need to resolve his current situation one way or another in order to have the best chance of helping Sweden qualify and have a successful tournament.
But Tomasson has hinted that there is more to the Isak situation than has been reported as he added: “I don't think we know [the truth].
“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.”
While Howe couldn’t confirm whether Isak would play again for Newcastle before the end of the transfer window or beyond, Tomasson has hinted that Isak could still be handed a call-up for Sweden next month despite a lack of first-team action.
“There is time,” he explained. “He is a professional and I know he has been training. Of course, he hasn't trained with a team and hasn't played any matches. Let's wait and see.
“We will have a good chat, Alex and I, and hopefully he will be back in team training soon.”
Sweden’s first international match will take place in Slovenia on September 5. Isak would have to join up with the Sweden squad just days after the closure of the summer transfer window if called-up.
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