Alexander Isak should be raging at Liverpool, not Newcastle United

Not since the Saudi takeover of 2021 have we spent one solitary minute feeling sorry for Newcastle United. Not over PSR, not over any refereeing decisions, not over the Champions League draw that left them hamstrung a year before Aston Villa cruised and definitely not during a summer when they were repeatedly pied by any footballer with ambition and a map.

Until now, when suddenly they are being painted as villains for *checks notes* not just allowing their best player to leave for the bestest of all the clubs for far less money than he is worth.

Now you might argue that Alexander Isak is not ‘worth’ more than the £110m bid made by Liverpool but your views are irrelevant unless you are either of the clubs looking to agree a number based on what he is worth to them, which in Newcastle’s case is massively influenced by the cost of replacing him and the time remaining in the window to do so.

We also absolutely know that Liverpool are well aware that he will cost more than £110m; that was not an offer anybody in the world – and certainly nobody at Melwood – thought would be accepted. It was purely designed to unsettle Isak and make the situation at Newcastle so intolerable to all that they would accept £120m. At the very least, it would ensure that the transfer would only be delayed by a year.

There is an argument that Isak should be saving a hefty wedge of his considerable ire for Liverpool, who did not value him quite highly enough to bid anywhere near what they knew he would cost, but instead simply lobbed over a cheap grenade. They are the ones playing a dirty game and yet it’s Newcastle who are being loudly accused of cheating: By Isak, by certain journalists, and by Liverpool fans.

We have drawn comparisons already this summer with the Harry Kane saga with talk of ‘gentlemen’s agreements’ and ‘broken promises’. But nobody at Newcastle is eight years old; those ‘promises’ mean the square root of f*** all if they are not on paper.

We would posit that every player who finds himself at a club a little lower than his individual status has conversations with chairmen, managers and sporting directors in which he is assured that if a bigger club shows interest, the offer will be considered. But what that does not mean is ‘you can leave when you want to wherever you want for any fee’. It never has. It never will.

Had Liverpool bid £120m in July – when Newcastle United still had hope of replacing Isak – the two clubs would probably have settled somewhere at the £125m plus add-ons mark, which would be enough for Newcastle to claim a British record fee and keep their dignity. At that juncture this transfer felt like an unstoppable force; all it needed was for both Liverpool and Isak to play within the rules.

Instead, we arrive in late August with Newcastle now stubbornly insisting that Isak is not going anywhere, for any price. And you actually cannot blame them. Why should they cave and sell for less than Isak is worth to them, just because he has thrust out his bottom lip? Anybody with a child under 12 knows that’s not how this sh*t works.

Curse you Liverpool and curse you Isak for making us feel sorry for Newcastle United. But on this occasion they really are on the right side of the argument.