ยท 20 August 2025, 11:30
Last night, it became abundantly clear what Alexander Isak is thinking and why he's gone on strike at Newcastle United.
While much of what we knew about why Alexander Isak has gone on strike at Newcastle was accurate, it mostly came from journalists who have sources close to the situation.
Eddie Howe had been very careful not to go into details in press conferences, and until last night, we'd not heard a peep from Isak or the club on the matter.
That all changed after Isak released a statement late last night, blaming the club for breaking promises and declaring the relationship as irreparable, saying it is best for all parties if he moves on.
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Newcastle United issued a direct response later that night, effectively telling Isak that he's under contract and he's going nowhere.
So this all begs the question: Why hasn't Alexander Isak put in a formal transfer request?
Instead, he's spat his dummy out, downed tools, ostracised himself from the group and now released an inflammatory statement that did nothing but piss off everybody at the club.
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The answer to this question is what shows exactly what Isak is all about: Money!
If Isak were to hand in a transfer request, it would be deemed a breach of contract and could exclude him from being paid bonuses. The whole thing started because he wanted more money; he knew he would get more money at Liverpool, so he wouldn't hand in a transfer request because it would impact his money more than simply picking up a weekly fine for not playing.
We aren't naive, we know that money drives 99% of footballers, but 95% of those will still honour their contracts and get on with the job even when they're not happy. There are ways to go about things, and Isak chose the wrong way and then doubled down and doubled down again.