Eddie Howe has given an update on the situation of Alexander Isak prior to the Premier League match of Newcastle against Liverpool on Monday, where the striker still meets a transfer
Eddie Howe says that the end is in sight about the Saga of Alexander Isak and has hinted that a transfer to Liverpool could still be on the cards.
Isak has only trained after escalating the situation by releasing a statement on Tuesday evening that Newcastle accused of breaking promises. The club then published their own statement and denied its allegations.
The 25-year-old striker was greeted by a group of angry fans when he drove into the training field on Wednesday and still holds on for a movement before the transfer window closes on 1 September.
“He will not be part of the team this weekend,” said Howe in a press conference prior to the Newcastle match against Liverpool on Monday. “The club must act in the best interest in Newcastle United. It will do that in every situation, it seems that it is coming to an end, or it will end pretty quickly.”
Speaking of Newcastle's statement, he said: “It was a sad moment. I prefer that these things are not done publicly. They are better treated behind closed doors. But the needs must. The club has spoken at that time and rightly at that time.
“He contracted us. He is our player. My wish is that he would play on Monday. He won't be and that is regrettable. But 100 percent want him back in a shirt in Newcastle. “
Howe added: “It's a losing situation. I don't think we can come out of this win in every situation.”
Newcastle tries to sign two strikers in the rest of the window, with Brentford's Yoane Wissa and Wolves' Jorgen Strand Larsen the most important two goals. In their own statement, they suggested that Isak could still be integrated into the team again, but hinted that there was still a transfer on the cards – if their asking price was reached.
“We have been clear that the terms and conditions of sale did not happen this summer,” said the statement. “We do not provide for those conditions that are met.”
Liverpool saw an £ 110 million rejected by Newcastle at the beginning of the month and has not returned with a different offer since then. But on Thursday, Arne Slot spoke that the Reds could still get a deal.
“I am happy with the team, but if we think there is a player who can really make us better, this club has always shown that they can bring them in,” he said. “But it must be all we want: correct transfer costs, correct position and the player wants to come to us.”
“I kept silent for a long time while others spoke,” Isak wrote. “That silence has enabled people to push their own version of events, although they know that it does not reflect what was really said and agreed behind closed doors.
“The reality is that promises have been made and the club has known my position for a long time. To pretend that these problems are only on the rise, it is misleading.
“When promises are broken and trust is lost, the relationship cannot continue. That is where things are now for me – and why a change in everyone's best interest is, not just myself.”