Eddie Howe has been speaking about Alexander Isak after the forward joined Liverpool from Newcastle United
Eddie Howe has revealed his relationship with Alexander Isak changed the moment the striker refused to play for Newcastle United. The 25-year-old effectively went on strike in an effort to force his way out of St James’ Park, having been lured by Liverpool overtures.
As a result of his stance, Isak never featured for Newcastle during pre-season and missed their first three Premier League games of the season. He also trained alone from the main group, and Howe has now admitted that his relationship with the forward soured as the summer saga progressed.
“Alex and I always enjoyed a great relationship,” the Newcastle boss said as he previewed his side’s upcoming game against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
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“I loved working with him and hope that he loved working with us, we hope it was mutually beneficial, we helped him as a player and he helped us a team.
“We helped him become the player who departed us today and he helped us achieve some important milestones. He was part of a very successful team.”
Before he continued: “To give you a bit more on that, the moment he went on strike, the relationship changed.
“And yeah, I think that was the turning point in our relationship. Communication became difficult from that point onwards.”
Isak joined Newcastle in a £60m move from Real Sociedad in 2022 and scored 27 goals in 42 appearances across all competitions last season.
Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade have been signed as replacements for Isak, and Howe asked for time and patience on his new signings.
He said: “Time is always the best judge of that. We will see how it is viewed. My gut feeling is it has been strong.
“It is hugely important to move on. With the schedule of games coming up, it’ll be a quick turnaround and we will need a full squad available. That is why we have needed people around the last two weeks.”
Reflecting on a tough summer in general, Howe said: “We always have challenges in different ways.
“Whether it was a successful window or challenging window, time will be the judge of that. It is a clear focus now. It is just football now, so no distractions.”