Alexander Isak to Liverpool latest: Newcastle striker’s agent ‘breaks silence’ with 16-day-old quotes

Liverpool will regret messing Newcastle around this summer now the Magpies have launched yet another bid for Marc Guehi under Crystal Palace’s valuation.

Broken news
It felt like the entire mick was being taken when a David Ornstein story from two days prior was ignored to pretend that Alexander Isak turning up at Newcastle on Monday was in any way a ‘shock’.

But that was a positively prompt reaction in comparison to this absolute nonsense from the Daily Express website:

‘Alexander Isak agent breaks silence as Liverpool target ‘close to finalising’ decision’

The immediate red flag is that no other outlet is carrying the quotes that supposedly ‘break’ this ‘silence’. The Daily Express website is many things but a bastion of brilliant journalistic haste and accuracy is not among them.

And it soon becomes abundantly clear that no, they are not the first to break this latest development in the summer’s defining transfer saga.  Because Gonzalo Gaitan said “we are already studying and analysing all options, and we may be close to finalising the next step for the player” in late July.

That ‘could be music to the ears of Liverpool fans’ who managed to avoid those silence-breaking quotes which were made 16 days ago and have since been proven largely redundant because they are still not “close to finalising the next step for the player” at all. But it doesn’t feel likely.

Crystal clear
In the world of redundant exclusives, Charlie Wyett’s ‘MARC GUEHI and Eberechi Eze could both end up STAYING at Crystal Palace this season’ takes some beating.

It is the sort of news only the Football Editor of The Sun could break – that two players Crystal Palace have at no stage this summer been close to selling could both end up STAYING at Crystal Palace beyond this summer.

Great get. Fair play.

What gave it away? The lack of an actual bid for either by early August? The fact Palace have never needed to sell and won’t suddenly lower their demands now there is far less time to source replacements for their captain and best player?

Wyett can at least probably be absolved of blame for a headline which says ‘Arsenal and Liverpool’s transfer plans’ have been ‘rocked’ by this development.

Arsenal have had all summer to come to terms with the fact Palace won’t negotiate at anything under a £68m release clause for Eze which has now expired, thus strengthening their hand.

Liverpool have had all summer to meet Guehi’s £50m valuation but have chosen to spend a sodding fortune on a load of other players instead.

It doesn’t feel as though either will be especially ‘rocked’ at not being able to sign players who were clearly quite far down their list of priorities at the start of the summer.

But of course the Daily Mirror website has to have the last say after sticking this non-story through their headline generator to get this:

‘Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi make transfer decisions amid Arsenal and Liverpool interest’

It is definitely Eze and Guehi’s choice not to join clubs who haven’t actually tried to sign them yet.

Marc of the man
It is a little weird that Newcastle are barely mentioned in either story, considering they have pretty much always been likelier to sign Guehi than Liverpool both this summer and in recent transfer windows.

As The Times reports on Tuesday morning, the Magpies ‘are set to revive their interest’ but ‘do not want to spend more than £40m’ for a player who is valued at £50m. Remember, that’s why he could end up STAYING at Palace and that is Guehi’s ‘decision’.

But Newcastle wanting to sign Guehi is boring. It’s old hat. It doesn’t get the blood flowing. No, it’s clear what this story needs to spice things up…

‘Newcastle threatening to hijack Liverpool transfer amid ongoing Alexander Isak talks’ – Daily Mirror website.

‘Newcastle ‘launch Marc Guehi hijack’ to get Alexander Isak revenge on Liverpool’ – Daily Express website.

‘Newcastle hoping to hijack Liverpool’s bid for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi’ – Sky Sports.

‘Newcastle ‘go back in’ to hijack Liverpool deal as Howe ‘holds Isak crisis talks’‘ – Football36…oh for fu…

A reminder of this line in the original Times story:

‘Liverpool are also interested but do not want to pay such a high fee for a player who is now in the final 12 months of his contract.’

Can you ‘hijack’ something which isn’t even close to moving yet?

Aggro
‘Liverpool rounded off pre-season in style with a 7-3 aggregate win across two games against Athletic Club at Anfield’ – Nathan Salt, Daily Mail.

‘The Reds played back-to-back games against the Spanish side on Monday with an aggregate score of 7-3’ – BBC Sport.

Back-to-back pre-season friendlies against the same side with completely different starting line-ups and substituted used each time being called an ‘aggregate’ win? The game has irrefutably, irrevocably gone.

Slight difference
‘Anfield evacuated less than an hour before Liverpool’s double-header friendly with Athletic Bilbao’ – The Sun website headline.

‘ANFIELD had to be evacuated just minutes before Liverpool’s pre-season friendlies with Athletic Bilbao’ – The Sun website first paragraph.

Well which was it? The game starting at the scheduled kick-off time is a clue.