It’s been a chaotic few days on Tyneside to say the least, showing the highs and lows of life as a Newcastle United fan.
Monday started with a failed £50m bid for Wolves’ Jorgen Stand Larsen, followed by a 3-2 defeat to Liverpool, which ended in heartbreak for Eddie Howe’s Mags and a stadium full of frustration, both on and off the pitch.
As I left the stadium that night, I saw Jamie Reuben and Steve Nickson at the Milburn Entrance, with the former cutting a stressed and disheveled figure as he made a quick call before exiting. He looked like a man who knew how much the club needed a lift and striker signing, especially on a day where Alexander Isak’s future was anything but solved.
Reporting on the Swede’s ongoing attempts to leave, The Mail’s Craig Hope has revealed what happened when co-owner Reuben visited Isak’s Darras Hall mansion alongside PIF representative and Newcastle director Jacobo Solis.
The feedback from a potentially frosty meeting hurts less now Newcastle have struck a club-record £69m deal for German giant Nick Woltemade, but Isak’s message was thought to be anything but respectful, which has been a theme.
As Reuben and Solis attempted to find a resolution, Hope reveals that Isak remained unwilling to reintegrate and even went a step further, threatening not to play for the club before or after Monday’s deadline if a sale isn’t sanctioned:
Craig Hope (The Mail) – ‘What followed were showdown talks, and what sources believe was a final play to get Isak to play and stay at Newcastle.
‘It did not work. The flashy vehicles were on the drive, but Isak and his camp had their tanks at the ready.
‘He does not want to stay and will not play – either before or after the transfer deadline – was the artillery fired in return.
‘The meeting was done before 5.30pm and, soon after, Isak’s G-Wagon pulled out of the gates. The horse, however, had long since bolted.’
This left Newcastle questioning if there was any route back, with an acceptance that a sale, against PIF’s initial wishes, may be the best route forward if the club could make progress on their own striker targets.
Fortunately, progress has followed. A £55m bid for Strand Larsen also failed on Tuesday as Wolves stood firm, but Bayern Munich’s progress over a loan-to-buy deal for Nicolas Jackson opened up a door elsewhere.
Bayern’s inability to agree a deal for Woltemade saw the 23-year-old appear as a huge market opportunity, and Newcastle have grabbed it with both hands.
As the UEFA Champions League draw took place in Monaco, seeing Newcastle draw Barcelona, PSG and Bayer Leverkusen to name a few, Reuben sat with a smile on his face, knowing a star striker was FINALLY arriving in a week where Isak continued to force a move.
Liverpool look set to come back in with a second bid and it’s been suggested that £130m could be offered, with Newcastle still in for Yoane Wissa as that second striker required to sanction Isak’s exit.