Isak joined Liverpool in a British record transfer move from Newcastle in the summer
From left: Eddie Howe, Alexander Isak, David Hopkinson and Nick Woltemade
From left: Eddie Howe, Alexander Isak, David Hopkinson and Nick Woltemade
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Newcastle United have 'won' the Alexander Isak transfer saga although Eddie Howe would have liked the situation to have been dealt with sooner.
That is the verdict of former Magpies goalkeeper Tim Krul who feels Newcastle will be happy for banking a British record transfer fee for Isak and replacing him with Nick Woltemade.
Isak has scored just one goal in the Premier League and Champions League this season since joining the Reds, after effectively going on strike at Newcastle to force a move. Meanwhile his replacement, Woltemade, has seven goals to his name at Newcastle across all competitions.
And while Krul has backed Isak to come good at Anfield, he feels it is undeniable his former side have come out of the transfer saga as the winners of the whole situation.
"Things haven’t worked out for Isak at Liverpool yet, and there’s so much to talk about it when you look at the whole situation," Krul told Ladbrokes at the launch of Ladisfaction. "Clearly, going to a new club, you need a bit of time to settle, and he’s not the only one who they signed this summer who hasn’t hit the ground running.
"Also, he hasn’t had a full pre-season, and I know from experience that training on your own is getting you nowhere near the level you need to be at when you’re playing for a team like Liverpool.
"Look, I think everybody involved would have probably wanted the situation to have been dealt with in a different way, and ultimately Newcastle got a lot of money for a player who didn’t want to be at the club anymore, so from that point of view, Newcastle won…
"The only thing I would say is that I’m sure Eddie Howe would have wanted Nick Woltemade through the door much earlier in the summer, because it’s taken the whole team a bit of time to get going this season.
"Listen, it’s football. Enough has been said about how players should conduct themselves, and a lot goes on behind closed doors that we don’t know about. Ultimately, Newcastle have got an amazing talent in Woltemade, have brought in a huge amount of money for a player, and Isak himself is still a top player who I’m sure will come good for Liverpool."
And Krul was full of praise for the impact Woltemade has made on Tyneside since his £69million club record move to Newcastle from Stuttgart.
"Woltemade has come in and is a completely different player to Alexander Isak," Krul added. "That worried me when he first came in, if I’m being honest, because I didn’t know exactly what it meant for how Newcastle might set up to play this season.
"But the most important thing in his career with the club so far was that he came in and scored in his first three games at home. That’s a great start; I can remember when Rasmus Hojlund joined Man United, it took him something like 20 games to get his first goal, and the pressure really mounts on you when you’re in that position, and the confidence goes.
"But with Woltemade, you can just see he thrives off the Geordies cheering him on in their tens of thousands. You can see he enjoys it up there, he loves his football and he seems like a good lad.
"His team-mates are all over him, too, so it’s just been a great signing all round, really. If I’m being honest, though, I wasn’t quite sure about him when he first joined; obviously the club missed out on a couple of targets, but everything seems to be working out well for him right now."