Every chance now that Alexander Isak will be staying at Newcastle United | OneFootball

Alexander Isak and Eddie Howe are now both back home.

The striker arriving back from Spain on Saturday.

The Head Coach arriving back from South Korea on Monday.

Alexander Isak shown by Sky Sports arriving at the Newcastle United training ground this morning, whilst the players who have been in the Far East have been given the rest of today off.

The last two pre-season friendlies are on Friday and Saturday, both at St James’ Park, with no doubt preparations starting properly on Tuesday at the training ground ahead of the weekend’s games.

Ahead of that though, Sky Sports and other media indicating that Eddie Howe set to meet Alexander Isak for talks.

It is all still up in the air and I wouldn’t be surprised at any outcome with Alexander Isak.

Eddie Howe gives nothing away and what he says in public I would never take literally, not whilst nothing is formally agreed and announced.

The NUFC boss is the ultimate Poker player.

The media never have a clue who is and isn’t really injured or available, time after time the journalists only finding out the truth when the teams are announced an hour or so before each match. So why would anybody think the media will know for sure what Eddie Howe intends to do, nor the Newcastle United owners, not indeed Alexander Isak himself for certain.

Back in January 2011 we knew for sure what would happen once Liverpool offered Mike Ashley £35m for Andy Carroll, Ashley had his personal helicopter at the ready! By that point we all knew what Mike Ashley was all about, indeed, that £35m sale price received still hasn’t been surpassed by any NUFC player leaving since, even though we are 14 years and seven months beyond that Carroll sale.

Fair to say that we know that these current Newcastle United owners and Eddie Howe, are a very different proposition to Mike Ashley and Alan Pardew.

Pardew had zero say when it came to transfers in and out and he had zero respect from Ashley.

Eddie Howe has been the key decision maker on all major transfers in and out of Newcastle United these past three years and eight months, plus the Newcastle United owners must count their lucky stars every morning that they struck gold when appointing Eddie Howe.

Whatever the ‘Fella that got Bournemouth relegated’ (© Steve Bruce) might tell the media (“I’m not sure what’s happening back home”…”I’m not directly involved in those talks”…”I don’t know if we are close to signing/selling anyone”), one thing absolutely for sure is that Alexander Isak won’t be sold unless Eddie Howe agrees to it.

Howe has massive sway and respect with players.

When Eddie Howe and Alexander Isak do meet, probably today sometime, I think that will go massively towards what eventually happens.

Liverpool messing everybody about and trying to take advantage of the situation, haven’t gone all in and making clear to the striker he is an urgent absolute necessity.

No surprise to me if ends up with Eddie Howe getting Alexander Isak to stay at least another season, new contract and release clause active next summer.

To liaise/act on potential signings (and sales…) between Head Coach and club owners, there were Saudi Arabia PIF people with Howe and the squad in the Far East and I think Howe will undoubtedly have had meetings with them in advance of this return to the UK. Making clear what he ideally wants to happen and a plan agreed on the strategy once everyone back in Newcastle – In terms of what will be said to Alexander Isak, what line they will take, the options Isak has and what Howe and the club would like to happen.

If Liverpool had offered £150m, then that could very likely have changed things, where we are now.

However, instead Liverpool three weeks ago put the message in the media via friendly journalists and allegedly also told Newcastle United verbally they would be willing to pay £120m for Alexander Isak. Then waiting until Friday just gone to finally put in a formal offer of only £110m.

If as appears very likely, Liverpool are looking at no more than £120m as their highest offer, I don’t see how any deal would be agreed.

Also, regardless of whatever Liverpool might offer, even the full £150m+ wouldn’t do it, unless Newcastle United are able to bring in the strikers they would want in place before considering Isak can potentially leave.

By leaving it so late ahead of the new season before making any effort to actually sign Isak, Liverpool have gambled on bullying Eddie Howe and the Newcastle United owners into accepting it will be impossible to go into the new season with a player who may have had his head turned. If that’s the case, they clearly don’t know Eddie Howe nor these Newcastle United owners.

If at the end of last season Liverpool had started the process of trying to sign Alexander Isak and done everything properly and above board, then maybe every chance of a deal being down by the end of June if they’d started that month with a credible formal offer for Isak.

Every football club has numerous examples of players who wanted to leave or join them, yet the moves didn’t happen in a particular transfer window, or indeed if at all at any time.

Harry Kane spent years trying to get out of Tottenham, attempting to move in summer 2020, summer 2021 and summer 2023, having to wait until he turned 30 and had one year left on his contract before able to join Bayern Munich and Spurs pocketing £100m for a 30 year old two years ago.

Amusingly, Moussa Sissoko tried every transfer window to leave Newcastle United after arriving in January 2013, his problem was that he believed that Real Madrid or Barcelona were set to come in at any moment and if only he made clear he was willing to leave St James’ Park, they would be sure to hear and act on his cries to be rescued.

Ironically, it was a desperate Tottenham that ended up paying £30m (£THIRTYm) for Sissoko on deadline day at the end of August 2016 where he ended up playing with Harry Kane, that is when he was actually given a game.

Real Madrid and Barcelona still didn’t hear his cries to be rescued and after seeing out his five year contract, Moussa Sissoko instead added Watford to Tottenham on his playing CV.

Which brings me back to Eddie Howe and Alexander Isak.

It may be more of a rarity these days in the Premier League, or indeed any league, where you have a (brilliant) manager who coaches the players AND also is the main man in deciding, has the final say, on which players the club tries to sign AND which they should decide to sell.

Eddie Howe is that man.

He has delivered riches, on and off the pitch, far beyond what the Newcastle United owners could have expected with their relatively modest spending compared to what rivals spend on wages and what their squads have cost to put together.

Eddie Howe has also made pretty much every single Newcastle United player, inherited or bought by him, into far better players.

If Eddie Howe wants Alexander Isak to play for Newcastle United in the 2025/26 season, I wouldn’t be betting against it happening.

As outlined above as well, if Liverpool aren’t prepared to even meet anything close to the Newcastle United valuation of Alexander Isak, then in betting terms, they are a non-runner for sure and absolutely zero chance of signing Isak this transfer window.