· 20 August 2025, 13:30
Alexander Isak threw caution to the wind last night in putting out a statement regarding his future at Newcastle United.
The 25-year-old striker's statement seemed deliberately worded to make it so there would be no way back for him at Newcastle United and would force the club into selling him this summer, something that he has been pushing for since the window opened.
However, it seems to have had the opposite effect, with the club issuing a response that pretty much closes the door on any deal being done with another club in this window.
Newcastle United's owners have always said they will not be bullied, often referring to clubs hiking up prices for transfer targets, but now they are applying that statement to one of their own players.
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Alexander Isak has divided the Newcastle dressing room
In his Newcastle Confidential column for the Daily Mail, Craig Hope has claimed that Isak's statement has divided the dressing room between players who support him and those who don't.
We'll likely never know who is in which camp, but we can safely assume that Bruno Guimaraes is in the latter following his response on Instagram last night.
Despite the divide between the players, and more specifically, the divide between Isak and the management, players and fans, the club will refuse to sanction his departure and will likely demand he plays this season, at least until January, when all of this will start again.
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How will Alexander Isak behave if he's forced to play for Newcastle this season?
Newcastle know that Isak can't afford to sit on his behind all season, not with a World Cup coming up. He's also got to prove to potential buyers that he's still the player they wanted this year, so when he does play, it will not be in his interest to half-arse his efforts on the pitch.
Clubs will already be having second thoughts about him, given his conduct this summer, so if he also plays like he doesn't care, that's only going to put clubs off even more.
Of course, the flip side is, playing badly decreases his value so much that Liverpool comes in and snaps him up for a song, then when he starts trying again, he returns to the levels we all know he's capable of.
It's a risky move, but it's possible. However, we imagine that if Eddie Howe feels he's not giving his all, he simply won't be selected.
There are a lot of moving parts to this whole thing, and if it wasn't directly affecting our club, we'd be fascinated by it. Instead, we're just sick.