Alexander Isak ‘complication removed’ amid ‘firm stance’ as deal basically done
Alexander Isak is basically a Liverpool player now, if we ignore Eddie Howe’s ‘firm stance’ that really was anything but…
Howe much is that striker in the window?
Eddie Howe spoke to the media about Liverpool target Alexander Isak from Singapore (‘a huge update’, according to SPORTbible), and frankly it’s a tad bleak.
“He is still our player. He’s contracted to us. We, to a degree, control what is next for him.
“I would love to believe all possibilities are still available to us. My wish is that he stays, but that’s not in my full control.
“We have not received a formal offer for Alex, from any club. My wish is that he stays and we see him playing again next year.”
‘To a degree’, ‘not in my full control’ and an awful lot of ‘wishing’.
Which is nowhere sodding near this from the Express:
Liverpool told exactly where they stand on Alexander Isak transfer by Eddie Howe
In the kindest possible way…have they f***.
The absolutely clear and obvious message from those Howe words is that Newcastle do not have full control of this situation, and the manager absolutely does not have anywhere close to full control; he is close to impotent in this scenario.
Liverpool have not been told ‘exactly’ anything because all Howe has in his holster is a full set of wishes.
We’re told that ‘Newcastle United’s head coach Eddie Howe has taken a firm stance on the ongoing transfer saga surrounding Swedish star Alexander Isak’ before bring presented with quotes that showcase no such thing.
His ‘firm stance’ is that they ‘to a degree’ control the situation. His ‘firm stance’ is that he ‘wishes’ that he would stay.
Liverpool, you might as well give up now.
The bidding room
You may have spotted that among all Eddie Howe’s wishful thinking, he did say that Newcastle have not received a bid for the Swede. Which leads the Mirror here…
Transfer news LIVE: Liverpool’s Isak bid, Arsenal get Eze boost and Man Utd want Watkins
And yes, the transfer news LIVE update is that ‘Liverpool’s Isak bid’ does not yet exist. Why stop there? Why not just plump for ‘Liverpool’s Haaland bid’? F*** it, let’s go Ronaldo…
What time is it, Mr Hughes?
Now you might think that the biggest barriers to Liverpool signing Alexander Isak are that a) he has a contract and b) Newcastle United will want a British record fee, but you would be wrong because the Liverpool Echo is here to let us know that an ‘Alexander Isak complication’ has been ‘removed’. The deal is basically done despite Eddie Howe taking that frighteningly ‘firm stance’.
Let’s take a look at that huge leap forward for Liverpool…
It’s understood sporting director Richard Hughes has flown out to Asia to be part of the contingent, which should theoretically make the timezone difference easier to navigate, should be enter intro dialogue with Newcastle’s key decision makers, with the Magpies due to touch down in Korea for their own Asian tour
We’re not sure what’s more deluded…the idea that Newcastle’s ‘key decision makers’ will be anywhere near the Newcastle squad and manager, or that any offer made by Liverpool might be ignored because it arrives outside of working hours due to a time difference? How does anybody ever buy anything from China?
Ground control to major clue
The news round-up is a great source of extreme sh*thousing, with the Mirror the kings of the ‘as’ clause.
Liverpool transfer news: Alexander Isak agrees move as major clue dropped
We’re not naive; we know the ‘major clue’ will not be a ‘major clue’. We also suspected it would not be a clue – minor or major – remotely connected to Isak and his move to Liverpool.
But we weren’t quite prepared for this…
German giants Bayern Munich have dropped a major clue that they are ready to sign Luis Diaz from Liverpool. The Bundesliga side have already thrashed out terms with the Reds that will see the Colombian move for a fee of around £65m.
And they are now making space in their squad ahead of his arrival. According to Sky in Germany, fellow winger Bryan Zaragoza is set to depart the Allianz Arena.
Pesky fact: Zaragoza has started ONE Bundesliga game for Bayern Munich and spent the whole of last season on loan at Osasuna. We suspect that Bayern are eyeing a slightly more pivotal role for Diaz.
And yes, that is the ‘major clue dropped’ as Alexander Isak agrees a move to Liverpool. FFS.