Newcastle United’s wantaway striker Alexander Isak will not be in the squad when they host Premier League champions Liverpool on Monday, said boss Eddie Howe, who called the tense standoff a “lose-lose” situation.
Isak was the subject of a 110 million pounds ($148.34 million) bid from Liverpool earlier this month, according to media reports, and in a social media post on Tuesday accused Newcastle of breaking promises.
Newcastle responded by saying there had been no commitment to sell the 25-year-old who is under contract until 2028.
“There’s been no change,” Howe told reporters on Friday. “It’s a lose-lose situation. I don’t think we can come out of this winning in any situation.”
Should Isak still be under contract at Newcastle when the transfer window closes on September 1, Howe said he and the players would welcome him back into the squad.
“I have no doubt about how the players will feel. They will feel the same way I do. Alex is a fantastic player, he’s a good person, a good character and a good lad,” Howe said. “If Alex wanted to come back and play for us, the players would welcome him.
“100 percent I want to see him back in a Newcastle shirt.”
Howe said he has not seen Isak, who is not training with the team, this week, adding that conversation between the two has otherwise been normal.
“There’s no issues there. Of course it’s a difficult situation from both sides and it’s far from ideal for both parties,” he said. “When we bump in to each other, we speak but as I say I’ve not seen him this week as he’s training later on and detached from the group.”
When asked about the public statements from Isak and the club earlier this week, the manager said he prefers that “it doesn’t happen publicly.”
“Everything is better dealt with behind closed doors but in this situation, needs must and in this situation the club has spoken and justifiably so in that moment,” he added.
Howe is confident Newcastle’s supporters could forgive Isak if he comes back into the team.
“The supporters will always react off how a player plays and what he gives the team,” Howe said. “There is always two sides to every story.”
Isak will not play against Liverpool, as ‘lose-lose’ situation continues
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Isak will not play against Liverpool, as ‘lose-lose’ situation continues
- Newcastle responded by saying there had been no commitment to sell the 25-year-old who is under contract until 2028
Real Madrid handed shock home loss as Celta Vigo spring surprise
- Celta jumped from 14th to 10th while the defeat ended Real’s 100 percent home league record this season after six successive wins
MADRID: Real Madrid suffered a shock 2-0 loss and finished with nine men against Celta Vigo in LaLiga on Sunday after Williot Swedberg scored an audacious goal with his heel and a second in stoppage time to leave the hosts four points off leaders Barcelona.
Swedish substitute Swedberg cleverly diverted a cross from Bryan Zaragoza past Thibaut Courtois in the 53rd minute to put Celta ahead and had an easy finish three minutes into added time, going around the goalkeeper to wrap up the points.
Real’s cause was not helped by the 64th minute dismissal of Fran Garcia, who picked up two yellow cards in 60 seconds, but they laid siege to the visitors’ goal for the last 20 minutes as Celta went into a defensive shell to hold onto their advantage.
Real defender Alvaro Carreras was also dismissed for two cautions, his second coming in stoppage time at the end of the game as the home side’s frustrations boiled over.
It was a second clean sheet in 15 league games this season for Celta, whose keeper Ionut Radu made a first-half save from Jude Bellingham’s header and stopped a second-half free-kick whipped in by Kylian Mbappe.
Real stay on 36 points from 16 games as Celta celebrated a first win at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in 19 years, leaving the Galician club with 19 points.
“With the team they have and their quality, it’s difficult to match them, but we read the game well,” said Celta striker Borja Iglesias. “We had possession, we played in their half, we played a fantastic match.”
Celta jumped from 14th to 10th while the defeat ended Real’s 100 percent home league record this season after six successive wins.
Xabi Alonso’s stuttering Real team have now won only one of their last five league games as they await the midweek arrival of Manchester City in the Champions League.
Earlier on Sunday, Espanyol moved up to fifth as Roberto Fernandez’s first half penalty handed them a 1-0 home win over Rayo Vallecano as both sides finished with 10 men.
Elche’s Rafa Mir scored twice as they ran out 3-0 home winners over struggling Girona, while hosts Valencia and Sevilla remained in the bottom half of the table after a 1-1 draw.
