11 hours ago
40
It is a shame, in a way, that the post-Newcastle vs Liverpool narrative is going to be largely about a man who wasn't even present for the game — who is currently employed by one team, but desperate to join the other.
Alexander Isak has been the saga of the summer so far. Without question, the Swede is going to be dominating story of the final few days of the transfer window, which closes at 7pm UK time (2pm ET) on Monday.
Having seen one bid for Isak worth around $148 million (£110 million) turned down, Liverpool has not yet seen enough encouragement from Newcastle to return to the table. But the interest remains — and there is a decision to be made.
Monday's game was played with an Isak backdrop, even if he was nowhere to be seen. There was a Swedish flag in the crowd — in the Liverpool end. In the home sections, meanwhile, there has been plenty of ire towards the Reds' willingness to buy him.
Of course, the frenzy whipped up around this fixture was not just down to the transfer talk surrounding Isak. This was Newcastle's first home game of the new season, under the lights, in a late kick-off, and on a bank holiday.
It had all the ingredients required to see St James' Park ignite even without the added context of Isak having annoyed the locals by expressing a desire to leave — and it really did when Will Osula slipped the ball past Alisson Becker.
In the end, Rio Ngumoha's late winner — an incredible moment for the 16-year-old, who only collected his GCSE results earlier this month — was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the drama.
Liverpool, once again, had been two goals up only to get pegged back level at 2-2. And then, from nowhere, up popped a substitute to save the day — just as Federico Chiesa did against Bournemouth.
There were talking points galore — Liverpool improved considerably in terms of stopping counter-attacks, but failed miserably at defending a couple of set-pieces; Anthony Gordon was sent off for a completely unneccessary tackle for which he has since apologized — yet there is only one place that the talk will soon shift back to.
During the game, the Liverpool fans could be heard singing a couple of songs about Isak. "Hand him over, hand him over, hand him over Newcastle," the away end chanted. If only it were that simple.
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
At the final whistle, Eddie Howe was asked what he made of reports that Isak had met with Newcastle's owners earlier on Monday. He couldn't give any details, he said, as he was only preparing for the game and thinking of nothing else.
Howe's message might not have changed, but the situation will soon.
By the time he faces the media ahead of Newcastle's trip to Leeds United next weekend, we should have a good idea of where things stand. The next few days will be crucial — and keeping Isak, if it can, would help soften the Ngumoha-inflicted blow.
Liverpool needs to think about how it defends set-pieces (quite urgently, given it faces Arsenal next). It needs more depth off the bench as well.
However, only one question is set to dominate this week: Isak: Will he stay, or will he go? The clock is ticking, so we won't have much longer to wait until we know the answer.
English (US) ·