Alexander Isaac was removed from Newcastle United’s team on Saturday due to a friendly preseason defeat to Celtic, with speculation and potential transfers surrounding his future.
Alexander Isaac may have missed out on some of Newcastle United’s preseason preparations for transfer speculation, but it appears that the Swedish forward is on the flight this week. Eddie Howe confirmed that the striker was removed from the squad that lost to Celtic.
However, he will join a team in the Far East this week to clarify the club’s attitude that Isak is not on sale yet. The Premier League hitman has attracted a lot of attention after a magpie 27-goal season, with one of Liverpool reportedly considering spending £120 million to secure his service.
However, Liverpool is currently on the verge of signing Hugo Ekichike, which Newcastle itself targeted, but is questioning ISAK’s pursuit with a deal worth up to £79 million from Aintrak Frankfurt.
Meanwhile, Howe has confirmed to BBC Radio Newcastle that Isaac will be joining the team for a pre-season tour in the Far East, and fully reveals that he hopes the striker will remain at St. James Park this season.
“Yes, absolutely. He’s part of our team,” Howe said ahead of Sunday’s clash with Arsenal in Singapore. “At this moment I hope he will come.
“I’ve been in football for so long enough to know that I look stupid, so no one can guarantee (stay), but the desire to protect him becomes as strong as possible.
“We love him as a player and person and want to stay with him. That’s right through the club. He is an outstanding talent and player that we cherish. I don’t think it’s easy to deal with player speculation and when feeding calls and messages from players and people who ask about any kind of thing, it’s not easy to understand.
“The media is so strong now, and the media messaging is widespread. I don’t think it’s easy for players to be under that scrutiny, which is part of the reason he wasn’t here today.
Hau said he left Isaac from the team facing Celtic on Saturday due to ongoing transfer speculation. After the match, he said:
“Under that scrutiny, I don’t think it’s fair to the player. I agreed that if he wasn’t going to play today he would need a little more training time. That’s best for him to be here. I chose to send him home. If he’s not playing, he’s sitting in the stands and he doesn’t suit today, he might now agree here.
“It was my decision. He returned to Glasgow with us, but I decided to send him home due to speculation around him.
“Yes, I discussed it with him, and that’s not unusual. I respect the player’s career and how short it is. Alex was really good.
The 47-year-old confirmed that ISAK may have “no formal approach,” adding that the club hopes to move forward for the near future. Howe added: “I think it’s hard to be 100% clear to any player because I’m sitting here and being football and not knowing what’s going to happen. All I can say is that Alex is happy in Newcastle.
“I’ve never had any problems with him other than seeing his talent and seeing him express himself. Certainly, I’m sure he’ll be here at the beginning of the season.
“So when you have them, you need to cherish him. We certainly recognize his talent and his abilities in our staff. Of course, we are eager to keep him part of our team.”
Gonzalo Gaitan, one of Isak’s agents, recently admitted he was considering “all options” for Swedes and added fuel to the fire in these comments.
“We certainly study and analyze all the options,” he said in an interview with the Saudi publication Aliyadhiya. “And we may be approaching establishing the next step for players without revealing details about whether ISAK will move to Newcastle or stay.”
Meanwhile, Liverpool has been spending massively in the transfer market, with £79 million for Ekitique bringing the Reds’ spending close to £300 million this summer alone. But their business may not stop there as there are more offensive recruits and new centre-backs.
Liverpool will need at least one more new advance, given the continued uncertainty surrounding the future of Darwin Nunes, Luis Diaz and Federico Chiesa. However, it remains to be seen whether Liverpool will pursue Isaac, which still costs more than £120 million after committing to splashing out at Ekitike.
His representatives appear to “play the game” in regards to client prospects, as there are doubts surrounding Isaac’s future, which stems from Newcastle’s failure to agree to a new long-term contract with a deserved wage increase, Liverpool Echo reports.
Newcastle is preparing for the next test on Sunday, July 27th, and will face Arsenal in Singapore, where Isaac can introduce. They will assume K-League XI and Tottenham Hotspur in Korea on Wednesday, July 30th and Sunday, August 3rd respectively.
They will play more friendly against Espanyol at St James Park on Friday, August 8th, play Atletico Madrid on Saturday, August 9th, and head to Aston Villa for Premier League opener on Saturday, August 16th.
The transfer window is set to close immediately on Monday, September 1st, and Hau hopes Isaac will remain a Newcastle player by this point, but his future is still in the air.
While there is not a decisive move from the Reds for Isaac, they are paying attention to his situation and Newcastle is aiming to keep the Swedes up for next season.
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