Liverpool should IGNORE Newcastle's hypocrisy over Alexander Isak | OneFootball

A lot of people have had a lot to say over Alexander Isak's actions since he decided to not re-join Newcastle's first-team this season since he is currently being denied a move away from the club.

In his view, the club gave him encouragement that a new contract with an improved wage-package was likely to be offered and they have now changed their stance, leaving him feeling betrayed.

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Of course, leaving the pre-season tour, spending time training with his former club Real Sociedad and refusing to be entered into match day squads, are all terrible actions from the player, who is a paid employee at Newcastle. He agreed to his current contract and he should stand by his club.

But I think the elephant in the room is that Isak isn't really doing anything that we haven't seen before, players often dissent in order to get what they want and while his actions might appear to be on the more extreme end of the spectrum, there have been other familiar examples this summer.

Newcastle turn a blind eye to Wissa

I must say, I'm not condoning anything that Isak is doing, although I do find it understandable that he might want to move away after a few years under Eddie Howe, looking to compete for the Premier League title alongside getting reassurances that Champions League football will be a regular thing.

Liverpool can offer that and are in need of attacking reinforcements. The move for Isak makes sense, and while Newcastle fans might feel like £150m is a reasonable asking price, any transfer will likely be for a lower fee, while still breaking the £115m British transfer record. He's a world-class player.

The entire scenario from this summer will give Liverpool fans some food for thought that Isak might attempt similar antics in the future if a team like Real Madrid come calling in a few years time - but regardless, the player is showing a level of commitment to the Reds to force a move, and I respect it.

What I don't respect, however, is the lack of acknowledgement that anyone who breaks convention to force a move isn't doing exactly the same as others have done before. It's not a new thing, and it's not a particularly great way of going about things either, but Isak hasn't been on his own in acting up.

Viktor Gyokeres did exactly the same thing with Sporting before he joined Arsenal for £64m. Of course, the situation is slightly different in the sense that his transfer cost the Gunners £5m more than they budgeted for, because a 'gentleman's agreement' that was in place was ignored.

Sporting negotiated with Andrea Berta in North London beyond the £59m initial fee because the player couldn't produce such an agreement in writing. It wasn't a contract, it wasn't enforceable and so they decided to make up their own price. As such, Gyokeres purposefully misses training in order to get the move he desired. Whether it was understandable or not, he still acted in dissent.

And a similar situation is unfolding over at Brentford with Yohan Wissa. The 29-year-old reportedly had a 'promise' made to him that if he stayed when Ivan Toney left for Saudi Arabia, that he could leave the following year for £27m while he had one year left on his contract.

Since then, the asking price has now reportedly gone up to £50-60m and Newcastle fans have been left bewildered, even though it's their demand for Wissa which is directly caused his price to rise.

In the background of everything, Wissa has been skipping training and on Monday, he deleted all association with Brentford from his social media. In essence, he's cut ties and if a move isn't agreed this summer, then he will leave for free and he'll have to decide if he'll honour his contract and play.

Admittedly, none of these actions are excusable. The players are acting up and if it's your club you're acting up for, then you play a blind eye to it, but in the public space, it's Isak that gets all the stick.

Of all the situations, Wissa's is almost identical to the Swede's. Both players had 'agreements' in place that haven't been stuck to, both players intend to leave their clubs and both players are acting in dissent in order to get what they want. Neither were in the matchday squads this past weekend.

To call it what it is, it's hypocrisy that Newcastle will defend one player and slate another. It's only even more funny that each player's transfer actually depends on the other, while neither might move.

In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter. Dissent isn't something you like to see in football, but it's not new and it's unlikely to go away anytime soon. It just seems a little wild that Isak gets all the flack, and Liverpool fans have taken it upon themselves to point it out. Both players are wrong.