Arsenal and Liverpool fans saying this? Wishful thinking isn’t a sin – It’s just what fans do | OneFootball

Before I dive into the real purpose of this article, let me just say this: watching Joelinton on the pitch reminds me of Gandalf on the Bridge of Khazad-dûm in The Fellowship of the Ring.

As the Balrog chased after the hobbits, Gandalf stayed back for a stand-off with the creature from the depth of Moria. He slammed his staff down and bellowed, “You shall not pass!” (the movie version, not the book). That image stuck with me throughout the entire match at Wembley.

However, beyond the on-field heroics, a different kind of battle rages – the constant barrage of transfer rumours.

Journalists talk about Newcastle United players, sparking anxiety among fans. But let’s take a step back and examine this noise with a clearer perspective.

Unless a player explicitly states they want to leave, there’s nothing to fear. Yes, some may argue that constant links to other clubs are a sign of disrespect, an attempt to unsettle our squad, but let’s take a step back.

Calm down.

Not long ago, Newcastle fans lived in constant fear of losing our best players, powerless to stop it.

Remember when we half-dreaded, half-accepted that ASM might be poached?

Or when Callum Wilson—crocked though he may be—was the only thing keeping us from relegation, and every foul on him sent a wave of cold sweat down our backs?

It’s natural for players like Alexander Isak and Sandro Tonali to want to be successful and football is a transient profession; loyalty is a rare commodity. Today’s hero can become tomorrow’s trade chip, as Callum Wilson’s own journey illustrates. Sooner or later, they will depart. Do they owe their loyalty to us? I don’t think so.

But here’s the thing: being linked with successful clubs is a sign of progress. It means we have players worth talking about. We’ve gone from struggling to attract quality, to having a squad that rivals desperately want. This is a good problem to have.

Harry Kane was constantly linked with clubs before leaving Spurs. Arsenal legend Thierry Henry moved to Barcelona. Even Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard was nearly pried away by Chelsea. It happens. If Real Madrid’s Rodrygo is linked with PSG and Salah was the subject of Saudi bids last summer, why should we expect the best Newcastle United players to be exempt?

Shall we be outraged that Arsenal and Liverpool fans dream of signing Alexander Isak? Let them. They just can’t afford him. Kai Havertz is costing Arsenal £270k per week—what do they think Isak’s wage would be? Wishful thinking isn’t a sin. It’s just what fans do.

We do the same thing, don’t we?

When Newcastle are linked with Brentford’s Mbeumo, Forest’s Elanga, Southampton’s Dibling, or Palace’s Guehi, do their fans see it as disrespect? Probably. But that’s football. Every club wants to strengthen and that means looking at players from other teams. If we expect others to accept it, why shouldn’t we?

The very fact that we get angry unnecessarily, shows that probably we are still traumatised for all those years when we become the feeder club to Liverpool (Beardsley, Hamann, Carroll, Enrique) while we took their cast-offs (Rush, Barnes). Maybe it’s because rival fans love winding us up. Or maybe we’re just not used to being in a position of power.

But we aren’t that club anymore.

Despite our setback in June 2024 when we had to sell a couple of promising young players, I think we are good now. We know enough to be confident that the oft quoted reason of “forced to sell players due to PSR” is a thing in the past, especially after three near barren transfer windows.

But let’s not pretend we’re skint. The Newcastle United owners are able and willing to financially help the club to be ambitious, unlike the previous owner. They don’t need to sell Isak or anyone else, unless they choose to. They surely aren’t going to be bullied into selling. If Isak or any of our stars go, it won’t be to a direct rival, and it won’t be for peanuts.

My mother always told me, “When a dog barks at you, ignore it—it’ll stop eventually.” That’s exactly how we should treat these rumours.

So, let’s silence the white noise and savour the moment. This season offers a tantalising prospect: the chance to chase Champions League qualification after winning the cup. No more hypothetical condescending question to the fans on whether we’d choose a trophy or a Champions League place.

Like the Fellowship of the Ring, we’ve emerged from the shadows, and our journey is just at the beginning.

And no, I’m not saying readers should ignore articles on transfer rumours from fellow contributors. On the contrary, they’re fun to read and writing them isn’t easy.

Finally. As someone for whom English isn’t a first language (and pardon for my grammatical errors), I can’t even imagine writing over 600 articles for The Mag (the milestone that Newcastle United fan and contributor to The Mag, Bazoox, recently passed) . Hats off to you, sir!