Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said he enjoyed working with Alexander Isak, but everything changed when the Sweden striker held out for his move to Liverpool.
Isak, 25, joined Liverpool on Sept. 1 in a £125 million deal, the third-largest transfer in history.
“Alex and I always enjoyed a great relationship,” Howe said ahead of the Magpies’ visit from Wolves on Saturday. “I loved working with him. I hope he enjoyed working with us. It was mutually beneficial. We helped him become the player he in part is today and he helped us as a team achieve some unbelievable milestones and was part of a very successful team. The moment he went on strike our relationship did change and that was probably a turning point in our relationship.”
Joining Newcastle from Real Sociedad in 2022, Isak would score 54 Premier League goals in 84 appearances across three seasons.
Howe says that he thinks Isak was happy at the club until Liverpool came calling.
“I think the issue for him was more when the other club came [calling], that then changed his thought process,” Howe said. “I never had a day where Alex didn’t look like he enjoyed being at Newcastle 100 per cent.”
Replacing Isak in the Toon roster will be Germany striker Nick Woltemade, who signed from Stuttgart. Congo winger Yoane Wissa also joined the club from Brentford, but he is unavailable against Wolves through injury.
With the likes of Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Joao Pedro turning down moves to the club and signing with Manchester United and Chelsea, respectively, Howe says it’s crucial for his team to have players who want to be there and are committed to the project.
“It’s very difficult to work with players that don’t want to be at any football club,” Howe said. “For me, it’s one of the most important things you look for in a player, especially when recruiting players. You can look at the ability and the person but if they are unsure whether to come and whether this is the right club for them, that leaves the transfer a very difficult one to complete.”
Through three games, Newcastle sits 17th in the table on two points and is still looking for its first win of the season.
