· 20 August 2025, 20:00
**If ever a former player was going to back the type of behaviour exhibited by Alexander Isak this summer, it was bound to be former Newcastle United forward Michael Owen.**
Michael Owen, the man who made up and distributed actual brochures on his career to try and find a new club. The man who openly came to Newcastle for the money and to try and worm his way back into a return to Liverpool.
Owen is as fondly remembered as COVID-19 around Newcastle, so it's of course no surprise that his thoughts align more with Alexander Isak than Newcastle United.
There was no way Owen could have come out and been opposed to Isak's behaviour without being labelled a hypocrite, but he could have just kept his mouth shut.
Michael Owen has no problem with Alexander Isak's behaviour
Michael Owen believes Alexander Isak has the right to down tools
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Speaking to AskGamblers (via [FourFourTwo](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/michael-owen-defends-alexander-isaks-newcastle-united-strike-action)), Owen says he can't blame players for wanting to further their careers.
> “It's a high-profile scenario, but it's the same scenario as what happens all the time.“From Newcastle's point of view, they've got a player who's under contract, and they've got to weigh up the balance of the finances, what they could receive, maybe having an unhappy player, or maybe keeping someone against his will.“I've been in the position of being a footballer, and I can't blame people for being ambitious. If people weren't, if people were just in it for money and weren't that bothered, we wouldn't have a great game. Football wouldn't be the game it is.“The whole point is that everybody strives to be the best they can be, to play for the best teams they can, and try to win as many medals as possible in their short career. So, I can't blame players for wanting to excel and better themselves.“Obviously, one thing is that Newcastle still has his services for about three years left on his contract, so they do hold a lot of power.
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> "However, we've seen before that when players want something, demand something, it's not easy to keep an unhappy player.”
Michael Owen - The Alexander Isak of the 2000s
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We like how Owen is trying to separate being ambitious from being about the money here. If Isak was ambitious, he'd stay at Newcastle and try and push them to win trophies. It would make him look much better, helping the underdog win things rather than just taking the option by signing for the bookies' favourites. It's not ambition, it's going where they can get the most money.
Like we said, though, Owen couldn't align himself with the club here, and we doubt he would anyway just to be spiteful.
It has been 16 years since Owen was at Newcastle. There is an entire generation of Newcastle fans now who know nothing of how hated he is, but it's a legacy that should be kept alive for times like these when he decides to chirp up about our club.