6 hours ago
3
Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker have discussed the ongoing saga surrounding Alexander Isak during this summer's transfer window.
The Newcastle striker has been a target for Liverpool, who had an offer for the Swedish international rebuffed earlier this month. As rumors swirl that he could still make a move to Anfield before the transfer deadline, Shearer and Lineker weighed in on the forward's future, reacting to remarks from former Arsenal and Premier League star Thierry Henry.
Earlier this week, the Frenchman suggested that it might be best for Isak to part ways with his current club. Speaking on Sky Sports, Henry said: "You cannot put yourself in a situation when you don't come to train.
"I think for me, in an ideal world, the best thing for him is – I think, for everybody – is if he can leave.
"But I also do believe that when someone makes a mistake, if he sees it as a mistake and after (so does) his dressing room, if he apologises, then we can move on.
"If he scores goals and he starts to play the same way he played last year, then the Newcastle fans will be OK about it.
"The best for me right now, the way it is, for Liverpool and Newcastle, is if he goes."
Shearer and Lineker also responded to comments from former Liverpool striker Michael Owen, who recognized the player's frustration at being unable to secure a move.
"I saw Thierry Henry and Michael Owen, both saying that clubs don't really think about footballers in certain things, and there's a lot of hypocrisy from certain people," Lineker said on The Rest Is Football.
"The only thing I would say is, we can all understand that the player against the club, and the club against the player, sometimes happens, but the one thing I find difficult to agree on is downing tools.
"That's the one thing I would take umbrage with."
Shearer added: "Unfortunately, you have a three-year contract in this situation. That's your or your agent's fault for signing such a long deal without any get-out clauses.
"I know football's ruthless, I know how it works, and I know when a club wants to get rid of you, as a player, they can. But that club is paying you for your services, and you've got three years left.
"There's a way of doing things. Look at how [Eberechi] Eze has conducted himself at Crystal Palace, totally different; I know.
"Look at [Marc] Guehi in a very difficult situation. He's got one year left, but Isak has three years left of a six-year deal that he or his agent signed, so that's where it's very different."
English (US) ·