Alexander Isak might have secured his dream move to Liverpool but has left a broken relationship with those at Newcastle United.
Isak’s move to Liverpool went through on deadline day, but not without lots of controversies. The Sweden international failed to train and was not involved in his club pre-season matches. He also missed the first three Premier League matches before his move was confirmed.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has now come for Isak for wrecking their relationship after admitting the £125million striker refused to play for him.
Alexander Isak during a training session at Liverpool AXA Training Centre. (Photo by Nikki Dyer – LFC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
As life in the Premier League for Newcastle officially starts without Isak against Wolves on Saturday, Howe said: “The moment he went on strike the relationship changed. And yeah, I think that was the turning point in our relationship. Communication became difficult from that point onwards.”
Howe added: “Alex and I always enjoyed a great relationship.
“I loved working with him and hope that he loved working with us. We hope it was mutually beneficial; we helped him as a player, and he helped us as a team. We helped him become the player who departed us, and he helped us achieve some important milestones. He was part of a very successful team.”
Isak has been replaced by Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade, but the DR Congo man has been ruled out of the encounter with Wolves due to a knee injury.
Nick Woltemonde meets with Eddie Howe at the Newcastle United Training centre (Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
It will be £69m Woltemade who leads the line against Wolves with the German having a hard act to follow.
Howe has asked for time and patience on his new signings, but both Wissa and Jacob Ramsey will not face Wolves. When asked if the window was a success, Howe said: “Time is always the best judge of that. We will see how it is viewed.
“My gut feeling is it has been strong. It is hugely important to move on. With the schedule of games coming up, it’ll be a quick turnaround, and we will need a full squad available. That is why we have needed people around the last two weeks.
“We always have challenges in different ways. Whether it was a successful window or a challenging window, time will be the judge of that. It is a clear focus now. It is just football now so no distractions.”
Eventually, Howe expects Wissa to be a good signing and said: “He is an established Premier League goalscorer which is very difficult to find, he has a history of scoring goals and been a difficult player for us to handle. I admire the journey he has been on, it has not been easy for him. He has had big steps to make and he has always made them.”
