Do his teammates just want rid of Alexander Isak? | OneFootball

As the Alexander Isak saga rumbles on, we had some elaborate and defining quotes from Eddie Howe after the friendly against Espanyol.

In my opinion, you could easily read a few interesting things from them on the Alexander Isak situation – where we’ve come from and where we’re heading.

“It’s clear at the moment that I can’t involve him in the group.”

That’s a line that makes perfect sense. If Eddie feels that he can’t include a player that isn’t fully committed to the team and the club, why WOULD you involve him? That’s before you get into the details of the way Alexander Isak has gone about things.

Training at a different club’s facilities is ridiculously rude but not the end of the world. Not informing his manager of such a move is a massive slap in the face.

On the club side of things, Alexander Isak was promised a new contract by Amanda Staveley and after her departure, Paul Mitchell said no, due to the fact that there was still some way to go on his current deal.

Both valid standpoints The player has performed brilliantly, been promised a new deal and someone else has come in and refused. I get both sides.

There’s also a case of professionalism. That hasn’t been shown from the player or his representatives this summer.

Back to that point about Eddie not feeling he can reintroduce the player to his team mates.

Alexander Isak is currently training alone and after the players have departed training. He was also reportedly omitted from the original get together back at the training ground, where players and their families meet up and have a pre-season BBQ. Team bonding. Why would a player be excluded from such a key event?

“He is training later than the rest of the squad. There have been discussions since the tour. I don’t think disciplinary action has happened.”

Discussions and disciplinary action?

From who?

And surely the manager would know about such a move?

Eddie Howe would have the authority to do such a thing and surely, IF (as was rumoured) Yasir Al-Rumayyan had stepped in and spoken to Isak/his agent then surely he would relay this to the manager? And Howe himself would have perfect grounds to discipline a player that failed to inform him that he intends to train away from the club.

Eddie stated clearly that, “He’s fit, he doesn’t have a fitness issue”, which intimates that the thigh injury was either a smokescreen, or it was minor and has now cleared up.

Blocked from player events?

Questions over a mystery disciplinary that the manager doesn’t know about?

Fully fit and able to train and/or play?

The next quote is damning.

“I’m aware of a feeling within the squad that there’s something not there to the benefit of the group.”

To me that comes down to the players.

I’d venture that the players have come to the decision, probably led by the Captains Committee consisting of Kieran Trippier, Bruno Guimaraes, Dan Burn and Jamaal Lascelles, that having Alexander Isak around ISN’T the best idea and that involving a player whose head isn’t focused on the team/club is counter productive.

My guess is that the players have either told Isak this in no uncertain terms, or said to Eddie Howe that we are not training/playing with this want away player until he sorts himself out. This “Disciplinary” aspect goes on at clubs between players all the time. The senior players at clubs will get together and “sort someone out” so to speak, if any one player gets out of line.

That comment about there being a lack of benefit to the group is telling and when Howe follows that up with, “I’d rather leave it with that line. Discussions between us must remain private but it’s clear that I can’t involve him with the team at the moment”, this tells you all you need to know.

“I’d rather leave it with that line”, seems to be Eddie telling you/us exactly what the situation is.

In my mind, the players have spoken and put their collective foot down. They’ve spotted a bad apple. You’re not going to include a player in training who has disrupted the harmony of the group. You risk tensions rising and I feel this has been put to Eddie Howe and Eddie has reluctantly agreed.

Finally, two quotes from Eddie that point to the immediate future up until the end of the transfer window;

“I want Alex to be playing today (Espanyol) – I want him to be training tomorrow. We would love the player to be with us. Let me make that absolutely clear, there is no part of me that doesn’t want that outcome. But I don’t see that changing before Aston Villa.”

Whilst it would be foolish to sell Isak before a replacement comes in, I think he’s being lined up to depart because keeping an unhappy player would be daft and counter productive.