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Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has voiced two major concerns over Alexander Isak, should he make the switch to Anfield this summer.
Liverpool, long-time admirers of the Swedish striker, saw its opening bid swiftly rejected, with head coach Arne Slot commenting on the situation on Thursday. Newcastle has made it clear that Isak, who is tied to the club for another three years, is not for sale.
Even so, the forward has continued to push for an exit this summer, claiming that “promises were broken.” Despite the ongoing unrest and the dismissal of its first offer, Liverpool remain strongly linked with a possible move for the 25-year-old before the September 1 deadline.
Speaking in his column with the Telegraph, Carragher is worried about Isak's durability and whether or not he can produce the same amount of goals in Merseyside as he does on Tyneside.
"From the moment Isak made his debut against Liverpool at Anfield, he has stood out, but there are concerns" said the pundit.
"Now 25, he is yet to prove he has the durability of Salah. He has failed to start 36 league games over his three seasons in England and 10 of his last 44 league goals were penalties. He would not be taking them at Anfield."
Carragher also believes that Isak's actions away from the pitch could derail Newcastle's season if the saga continues to rumble on past the end of the summer transfer window.
He compared the situation to when Fernando Torres wanted to leave Liverpool in the 2010/11 season with the $67million forward eventually moving to Stamford Bridge in the January.
The 47-year-old added: Wantaway star players can contaminate a season. Isak has outgrown Newcastle like Fernando Torres had outgrown Liverpool in the summer of 2010. By the time he left for Chelsea the following January, there was a sense of relief that the saga was finally over.
"Standing firm on Isak now may win a battle, but selling him and signing two strikers will make Newcastle better equipped for a Premier League and Champions League campaign.
"Howe knows that. A club must be ready on and off the pitch to lure the world’s best talent.
"Time will tell if it would have made more sense to cash in on Isak sooner and use the funds to blow their rivals out of the water financially when bidding for the strikers they pursued earlier in the window.
"Missing out on one target could be considered unfortunate, losing so many suggests there is a bigger issue within their recruitment set-up."
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