Alexander Isak and Eddie Howeplaceholder image
Alexander Isak and Eddie Howe | Getty Images
Eddie Howe mentioned the sale of Alexander Isak as a ‘considerable blow’ to Newcastle United in the wake of Sunday’s derby defeat to Sunderland.
Almost seven months after Newcastle United’s Premier League record sale of Alexander Isak to Liverpool, the club are yet to recover.
Following Newcastle’s 2-1 Tyne-Wear derby defeat to Sunderland at St James’ Park, head coach Eddie Howe, unprompted, namechecked Isak when asked about the club’s struggles this season.
The defeat to Sunderland leaves Newcastle sitting 12th in the Premier League table with seven games left to play. While Isak’s goals have largely been replaced on the whole with Nick Woltemade (10 goals), Harvey Barnes (14 goals) and Anthony Gordon (17 goals) all scoring double figures in all competitions this season, the absence of a recognised top quality striker has taken its toll on the side.
NUFC have lost momentum in 2025/26
When asked about Newcastle’s position in the table heading into the final matches of the season and the overall momentum of the project he signed up for four-and-a-half years ago, Howe said: “I think the rules have made it very difficult for that momentum to go with the speed that it initially did.
“I don't know where we can beat that system. We have to follow the rules that are set.
“The club desperately want to be ambitious, but there's a limit to what we can spend. That has a knock-on effect on everything that we do.
“The decisions that we made previously, as I say, to not recruit for that many windows. I don't know a team that wouldn't suffer from that. We certainly have.”
Eddie Howe namechecks Alexander Isak once again
Howe went on to mention Isak as part of the suffering the club have had to endure.
“Losing Alex last summer was a considerable blow,” Howe added. “Again, we can't feel sorry for ourselves, and we can't use excuses. We have to find a way to be successful despite all of these things.
“But with that, I think there has to be an understanding of the tough conditions that we're in.”
Isak will go down as the man who burst Newcastle’s bubble as far as the project is concerned by fighting to leave on the back of a Carabao Cup win and Champions League qualification.
His absence has had a significant impact, but Newcastle have shown little signs of recovering this season.
And Howe has admitted that both he and his players must do better.
“I don't know how many times I'd like to say that [it’s unacceptable],” Howe responded. “As I said at the start, all we can do is accept the criticism.
“Whatever words you want to use, I'm not going to challenge them. We have to do better.”
Every project, every squad, every manager has a shelf-life. And right now, the expiry date is looming.
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