Liverpool could be forgiven for feeling a sense of Deja vu while observing the Alexander Isak transfer saga from afar
Theo Squires was appointed Liverpool FC Writer for the Liverpool ECHO in 2021, after covering EURO 2020 at Wembley as England reached their first major men's final since 1966. A senior football journalist, Theo joined the ECHO's sports team from Bolton Wanderers in 2018, having previously spent four seasons in the former Premier League side's communications team where he ran the club's website and social media channels. A regular in the Anfield press box since joining the ECHO, since being promoted to Liverpool FC Writer, Theo has reported on Jurgen Klopp's side as they won the FA Cup and League Cup at Wembley, and competed in the 2022 Champions League final in Paris. A regular on the Blood Red podcast, Theo has also conducted a number of exclusive interviews during his time with the ECHO, speaking to the likes of Roger Hunt, Nicolas Anelka, and Alberto Aquilani.
Arne Slot, Alexander Isak and Eddie Howe
Arne Slot, Alexander Isak and Eddie Howe(Image: Visionhaus/Getty Images)
The Alexander Isak transfer saga has certainly split opinion this week after the striker made it clear that he considers his Newcastle United career over. The wantaway Swede made headlines when he released a statement on Instagram, moments after he was confirmed as being named in the PFA's Team of the Year for last season, insisting that ‘change was best for everyone’ as he cited broken promises behind the scenes.
Newcastle swiftly responded with a statement of their own, prompting a divided response from onlookers.
Some saw a powerful response by the Magpies, with the club refusing to be pushed around by the striker and insisting that he would be staying put at St. James’ Park.
But while Newcastle insisted they ‘do not foresee those conditions being met’ to sell Isak, their statement also made it clear that there were still conditions they would consider that would lead to a sale.
Liverpool, who had an £110m bid rejected by the Magpies for Isak earlier this month, remain interested and are understood to be ready to return to the table should they be given encouragement from the North East that a deal could be possible.
As the Reds wait to see if such an opportunity arises during the final week of the transfer window, Newcastle’s statement hardly screamed hands off warning.
And that perhaps becomes more evidentwhen compared to a previous statement delivered by Liverpool owners, Fenway Sports Group, in the summer of 2017.
At the time, star player Philippe Coutinho had made it clear that he wanted to leave for Barcelona but the Reds were refusing to sell.
“We wish to offer clarity as regards our position on a possible transfer of Philippe Coutinho,” the club declared at the time. “The club’s definitive stance is that no offers for Philippe will be considered and he will remain a member of Liverpool Football Club when the summer window closes.”
Despite Coutinho’s wishes, Liverpool managed to retain the wantaway Brazilian’s services. Returning to Jurgen Klopp’s starting XI once the transfer window closed, he would arguably produce the best form of his career before belatedly being granted a switch to Camp Nou in January 2018 in a club-record £142m deal.
Reds supporters would be forgiven for feeling a sense of familiarity about Coutinho’s exit and this ongoing Isak saga.
After all, while they loathed the prospect of losing the Brazilian at the time, in hindsight it proved to be the making of Klopp’s great Liverpool side.
With the £142m received, they reinvested to spend a club-record £75m on Virgil van Dijk the same month as Coutinho’s departure before adding Alisson Becker in a £65m swoop the following summer.
There is no denying that the pair transformed the Reds fortunes, proving to be the difference between Liverpool being a side just aiming to qualify for the Champions League and becoming one that could become European champions.
Sure enough, in the seven and a half years since Coutinho’s exit, the Reds have won every major honour including two Premier Leagues, the Champions League, the FIFA Club World Cup and three major domestic cups.
If Liverpool are to sign Isak this summer, he will cost a British record transfer fee. Reinvest that wisely and Newcastle - who have been regularly troubled by PSR issues - could follow a similar path as the Reds.
Last season, the Swede helped them qualify for the Champions League for the second time and three seasons as well as win their first major trophy in 70 years. If Liverpool’s example is anything to go by, a reluctant sale of Isak, when he so clearly wants to depart, could prove decisive for them taking the next step.
But it is not just Coutinho providing a sense of Deja vu when Reds supporters observe Newcastle’s summer from afar.
While the Magpies have brought in Anthony Elanga, Jacob Ramsey, Malick Thiaw and Aaron Ramsdale so far this summer, their transfer window has still proven to be frustrating regardless of the Isak saga.
All summer long they have pursued a new striker, having seen Calum Wilson move on at the end of his contract. But all summer long they have been left disappointed as they work their way down their transfer longlist.
So far, the likes of Liam Delap, Joao Pedro, Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Sesko and Hugo Ekitike have all moved elsewhere. Meanwhile, with Nicolas Jackson now reportedly next on their wishlist, they face competition from the likes of Aston Villa.
They still want Yoane Wissa from Brentford too, of course, with the DR Congo international pulling similar tricks to Isak in attempts to force a move.
But Newcastle risk it going down to the wire as their wait for new forwards goes on, with manager Eddie Howe not even ruling out the possibility that they would be left unsuccessful in their efforts to add to their ranks before the transfer deadline on September 1.
Given the vast number of players Newcastle have unsuccessfully pursued, Liverpool could be forgiven for thinking back to when they lost wantaway star Luis Suarez to Barcelona in a £65m deal in the summer of 2014 - having resisted selling the Uruguayan to Arsenal 12 months earlier.
The Reds missed out on the likes of Alexis Sanchez, withdrew from a deal to sign Loic Remy and opted against landing free agent Samuel Eto’o in favour of signing controversial forward Mario Balotelli from AC Milan.
Dr. Ian Graham, Liverpool’s former director of research, would later reveal in an exclusive interviewwith the ECHO that the Italian was ‘probably choice number six or number seven’ at best. Unsurprisingly, Balotelli flopped and was moved on after just one season, having only scored one Premier League goal for the club.
That is not to say Newcastle could find themselves making a similarly desperate signing in the final week of the transfer window. But it goes without saying that you will find yourself fishing in a shallower pool the later it gets in the window, after already missing out on a number of preferred targets.
Of course, there is a further controversial element to the ongoing Isak saga, given his ‘broken promises’ allegations could allude to the fact that he reportedly informed Newcastle of his desire to leave two weeks before the end of last season.
Howe has since admitted that talks indeed took place with the striker before the end of the last campaign, though he refused to reveal either way whether Isak had asked to leave rather than shut down the notion entirely. Read into that what you will.
Newcastle have had all summer long to sign a new striker to replace Wilson, regardless of whether they have privately desired a second forward in lieu of a possible Isak departure, and have so far come up short on both fronts.
Should Liverpool be successful in efforts to sign Isak in the final week of the transfer window, Newcastle will be left with a British transfer record fee burning a hole in their pockets.
But while that could prove decisive in efforts to transform them from hopefuls to contenders, as was the case for the Reds seven years ago, their failings in the transfer market so far this summer threaten to undermine any such plans.
As a result, they are left without a recognised striker and with an unhappy star in Isak, who is essentially on strike as he continues to train alone after making it clear that he wants to depart.
All Liverpool can do is watch on from afar, waiting for possible encouragement from Newcastle that a deal could be possible as the Magpies continue to look to bolster their own attacking ranks.
Should they be unsuccessful, they face the unenviable task of trying to reintegrate Isak at St. James’ Park.
But as Liverpool found out with Coutinho and Suarez, while it is not impossible to call upon wantaway stars again once a transfer window closes, they rarely stay put for long.