Can we call this game the Alexander Isak Cup? Is that right, given how we know the man himself will not take part in it? Isak is a Newcastle United player; it’s the team he’s legally contracted to.
They will host Liverpool FC, the only team that Isak says he’ll play for this season, on Monday night. Alex Isak maintains that he will never suit up for Newcastle again, but the club does not wish to sell him. They even rejected a £110m bid from Liverpool earlier this month.
Liverpool FC at Newcastle United FYIs
Kickoff: Mon. Aug 24, 8pm, St. James Park, Liverpool, UK
Newcastle Preview Content: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Liverpool FC Preview Content: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Both Isak and Newcastle released public statements this week, and those statements conflicted with one another about whether or not Isak would be allowed to leave the club, should the situation arise where a big money club would potentially make a move to sign him.
It’s safe to say that this situation might be a bit more complicated than that, as all transfer sagas are multi-layered, but we gave you the gist of it.
Both the club itself and manager Eddie Howe have publicly said that they want the Swedish striker to stay at the club, and that they would conceivably welcome him back into the fold. However, he is still currently suspended by the club, and is thus training away from the rest of the squad.
“I haven’t seen him this week but when I see him we speak as normal, there are no issues there,” Howe said at his news conference earlier today.
“It’s a difficult situation from both sides and it’s far from ideal for both parties. When we bump in to each we speak but as I say I’ve not seen him this week as he’s training later on and detached from the group. We will catch up at some stage and hopefully speak soon.”
Howe said a lot of positive things about his superstar striker.
“I have no doubt about how the players will feel,” Howe continued.
“They will feel same way I do. Alex is a fantastic player, he’s a good person, a good character and a good lad. If Alex wanted to come back and play for us the players would welcome him.”
However, Howe also confirmed that the status of Alexander Isak remains unchanged, and that he is unavailable for the big clash on Monday night:
“My wish is that he would be playing on Monday night with us. But he won’t be and that’s regrettable.”
Moving on to Newcastle news outside of Alexander Isak, midfielder Joe Willock has recovered from injury and should be fit to feature in this one. He just needs to pass a late fitness test.
“Joe trained on Tuesday and Wednesday and trained really well,” Howe said.
“When he went down in the game [in Korea] I thought he was going to be out longer term, it didn’t look good. Credit to him, he’s got back fit and looking good.”
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter