Eddie Howe snubs Liverpool with three-word remark after £130m Alexander Isak transfer
Alexander Isak forced his £130million transfer from Newcastle United to Liverpool.
Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has revealed his relationship with Alexander Isak changed when “the other club” got involved.
Howe spoke to the media for the first time since Isak completed his £130million British record transfer to Liverpool. And it is perhaps telling that he refrained from mentioning the Premier League champions by name.
The Reds unsettled Isak with an informal approach just days after he reported back for pre-season in Austria. And from then on, things unravelled.
Isak missed the opening friendly away to Celtic and sat out of the tour of Asia. When Howe’s squad returned to England, Isak went on strike, refusing to train or play with his teammates in an attempt to force a move to Anfield.
Eddie Howe on his relationship with Alexander Isak
And it was at that point that Howe admits his relationship with the player changed. The matter was then shouldered by the club’s hierarchy and after they failed to convince Isak to reintegrate, the decision was taken to sell him.
Howe said: “I loved working with him. I hope that he loved working with us. It was mutually beneficial. I think we helped him become the player that he, in part, is today and he helped us as a team achieve some unbelievable milestones and of course he was part of a very successful team.
“I think, just giving you a bit more on that, I think the moment that he went on strike, our relationship did change. And yeah, I think that was probably a turning point in our relationship.
“I just think obviously communication became difficult from that point onwards. I won't go into it any more than that.”
Eddie Howe refrains from referencing Liverpool by name
Howe later said: “I would say Alex was very much part of that and loved his time here, so I don’t think that was the issue.
“I think the issue for him was more when the other club came became there, that then changed his thought process. I never had a day where Alex didn’t look like he enjoyed being here when he was 100%.”
Newcastle United have moved on from Alexander Isak
To try and compensate for the sale of Isak, Newcastle have invested in a new £124m strike force, with 6ft 6in German Nick Woltemade joining from Stuttgart and Yoane Wissa arriving from Brentford for £55m.
Wissa picked up a knee issue on international duty with DR Congo this week, so won’t make his debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday. That means Woltemade is in line to lead the attack.
“I don't think it would have been possible to replace Alex like-for-like,” Howe said. “There's no other player like Alex. He was totally unique and had his qualities and it's important we don't compare whoever we bring in to Alex because I think that's very difficult to do.
“I think each player that comes in is an individual in their own right and has their own strengths and weaknesses and as I said, there will be a process where we have to mould ourselves to them and as I say, vice versa. So both players have standout qualities.
“Yoane is a proven Premier League goalscorer, a very, very good finisher, a real threat in the box, another hard worker but a good player technically to link play and Nick is very, very creative.
“I think hopefully you'll see around the box and his ability to link play and to find passes will really help us in that final third. So yes, different players. I don't think you can compare any of the three strikers that we've just discussed but hopefully individually they'll all perform well for the team.”