A Lose-Lose Situation

As the transfer window nears its close, Alexander Isak and Newcastle remain its biggest losers. A prolonged transfer saga leaves both club and player looking bad.

Unless they come to some sort of solution, this promises to tank both of their seasons.

Coming into the summer, Isak looked like the league’s best striker. Newcastle, powered by his goals, returned to European heights. 

Having lit the Prem on fire for a few seasons, Isak seemed ready to make that next jump. Linked to Arsenal for most of the window, they eventually moved on to their longer-term target in Viktor Gyökeres. United, another potential suitor, secured its future striker in Benjamin Šeško.

With a dry market and Isak unwilling to return to training, Newcastle finds itself in a strange situation. They have a player who refuses to play with the team, but no one is willing to pick him up. However, with the club ready to wait out this situation, there may still be a way out for them.

Everyone comes out of this situation as a loser. Isak may find himself stuck at Newcastle while the club must deal with a player who is causing trouble.

PHOTO: Newcastle Supporters Worldwide/Facebook

After last season, Isak stood alongside Erling Haaland as the league’s premier strikers. With 54 goals in the past three seasons, the Swede proved himself in the World’s toughest league.

Isak ended last season having pushed Newcastle to a European spot. For the second time in his Newcastle career, he helped push the club back to the Champions League. His 28 goals last season made him one of the most in-demand players.

Entering this summer, every top club, besides Manchester City, found itself in the market for a new striker. Whether to replace a struggling striker or propel their club into a new era, the market was hot. The first month of the window proved this right with Arsenal and Liverpool making massive splashes.

However, Arsenal’s move for Gyökeres proved to be the death knell for Isak’s hopes for a move. This, along with another few large moves, froze Isak.

Now, in mid-August, no top club in the Prem feels like a potential suitor for one of the league’s best strikers. Clubs chose to make deals with foreign clubs rather than meet the demands of both Isak and Newcastle. The only chance for a move now appears to be outside the Premier League.

Even when looking at the rest of Europe, most clubs likely won’t meet Newcastle’s demands nor present enough of a challenge for Isak. Essentially, the real movers for the Swede made their moves early and killed any hopes for a transfer. Perhaps this situation ends the same as it did for Oshimen, where he makes a loan move somewhere as the club tries to find a longer-term solution.

Every real suitor for Isak moved on, leaving the striker stranded at a club he’s desperate to leave.

While Newcastle’s targetman continues to escalate the situation, he may be doomed to see out another season or accept a smaller move.

Losing Isak for anything less than a hefty fee would truly make this a summer from hell for Newcastle. An already miserable summer, potentially capped off by a toxic situation, can only temper expectations.

Having spent the summer dealing with one major issue, Newcastle enters the season with mixed emotions. While they may have paid a little too much for Anthony Elanga, he still is an exciting addition to what was a fun offense. Malick Thiaw was one of Milan’s few bright spots last year and should help solidify the backline. 

If this Isak mess had occurred earlier in the summer or had been appropriately addressed, there would be more hope at this point. This is a team that has clearly established itself as a challenger for Champions League spots, adding interesting pieces. It’s not a team that should be begging for some sort of resolution.

Newcastle is presented with truly two options: settle for a discounted fee or force Isak’s hand. Neither promises to be ideal, but there’s no other way around it.

Taking a fee to dump the Swede essentially frees the club from this mess and gives them enough wiggle room to rebound. Yes, it likely won’t be near £ 100 million, but they could secure enough to bring in a worthy replacement. Recouping any fee allows the magpies to move on and actually start the season.

Keeping an angry Isak is the biggest risk for the club. If they convince him to play, both sides may win, especially if he continues to score at the rate he has. Excluding him completely from the team would punish everyone and only make the situation more toxic. 

As mentioned earlier, the most likely outcome resembles Oshimen’s saga from last year.

A loan abroad is just kicking the can down the road and hoping next summer will be different.

Newcastle fans clearly hoped that this summer would build on what was a bounce-back year. Again, dragging out this saga to the point where the market is dead makes everyone a loser.

Given the lack of interest, it appears that the most likely option is to postpone this again.