Even as he sat out the fifth and final game of a tumultuous pre-season at Newcastle United, Alexander Isak continues to cast a long shadow over the club’s preparations for the new campaign.
In the cold war between player and club, nothing dramatic has changed since Isak was not on the flight to Newcastle’s tour of the Far East two weeks ago.
The club’s official stance – repeated at the highest level at the club – is that he is not for sale.
But perhaps a more realistic reflection of things is that his departure moves closer if the following boxes are ticked: Liverpool come close to their valuation of £150m and two appropriately high-level strikers are sourced in the final three weeks of the transfer window.
This weekend, though, has seen a sharpening of the rhetoric from Eddie Howe around Isak, who – reading between the lines – has effectively made himself unavailable to play in games as he seeks to force an exit to Liverpool.
On Friday, Howe admitted Isak would miss the season opener at Aston Villa next Saturday with no prospect of a softening of his desire to leave for the Premier League champions, who made a £110m bid eight days ago.
And on Saturday – after defeat to Atletico Madrid in a competitive St James’ Park clash – he went that bit further, admitting that a sale was possible before 1 September, but not his preferred outcome.
Critically – and it did feel deliberate in a post-match press conference that was once again dominated by Isak’s future – Howe also included the caveat that he wanted to move forward with players committed to the Newcastle cause.
Isak is about as far away from that as possible at the moment, a big reason why he will not be training with the first team group until his future is resolved.
“Everything is in play,” Howe said when asked about what happens next.
“I’ve said many times he is contracted to us. He is our player. The club basically make the decision on his future.
“I don’t know what that will be. Of course I have a preferred outcome. I want the best and strongest squad possible but also I want players that really want to play for this football club.”
The irony of that admission is that Benjamin Sesko’s decision to join Manchester United has probably reduced the chance of Isak leaving because it reduces the pool of strikers Newcastle are considering a move for.
Yoane Wissa is one, but the word from the selling end is that a move is no closer despite his desire to leave.
It leaves the situation in a damaging, suffocating limbo. Would there come a point, Howe was asked, where an Isak departure to Liverpool was the best outcome for all parties to move forward?
“Again, that’s a decision that I won’t make, that’ll be for other people to make,” he said. “For me I’m just trying to manage the situation and the team, more importantly.
“We’re focusing on Aston Villa. Everything else, from my perspective, is out of my control so it’s not my focus.”
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The questions on Isak continued. Was there a chance he could be persuaded to re-commit to Newcastle and, in turn, rejoin the first team group?
“If it was that easy I’d be doing it and I’d have done it yesterday,” Howe said with a smile. “But it’s not, so I think I’m better off focusing on the players because the Aston Villa game will be on us in the blink of an eye.”
Newcastle – who are at least edging towards sourcing the right-sided centre-back they want with a £32m move for Milan’s Germany defender Malick Thiaw now agreed and awaiting a medical – have looked toothless in pre-season.
Will Osula was given an opportunity to impress but does not look ready to lead the line and may never be.
Anthony Gordon, who twisted his ankle on Saturday, is in line to replace him and it was a measure of how dire things are in the attacking department that Howe was even asked if Joelinton might be pressed into emergency action in a position that nearly cost him his Newcastle career.
“In the pre-season games (it) would be a fair assessment,” Howe said of accusations Newcastle missed a cutting edge without Isak.
“I don’t think I’m thinking any different. I’m in agreement with that. But we can still win football matches.
“We need to turn the margins of the little things in our favour so we need to look across the board at how we can get more goals into the team, how we can score more.”
"I want the best, strongest squad possible but I really want players who want to play for this football club"
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 9, 2025
Eddie Howe says he doesn't know what the outcome will be surrounding Alexander Isak's futurepic.twitter.com/Tk8Qmz3eJy
It is not all doom and gloom, of course. It is a hugely talented squad and Anthony Elanga has made a bright start in black and white. Howe, too, railed against the notion that Newcastle was not an attractive option for prospective players.
“Just look at the squad and reel the names off, they’re talented, unbelievable players. In a sense those players that have come here have trusted me and trusted the coaching team and the club and have benefited from that,” he said.
“Playing in front of those supporters is an absolute privilege and honour and that’s never lost on me.
“Some players have a different choice. Finances play a huge part in that. I’ve said many times we’re not the highest payers in this league, we’re far from it and that is sometimes reflected in the choices players’ make. It’s not a reflection on the city or what we’re doing here or what we’re trying to create at the football club.
“We’re still controlled by PSR, it’s limiting what we can do and that’s the reality.”
Selling Isak could unlock that. But at what cost, you wonder.
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