16 hours ago
30
Newcastle vs Liverpool was earmarked in many calendars for months, the tantalizing idea being that Alexander Isak would either be lining up against his old club or else putting his would-be suitors to the sword. In the end, he was entirely absent, with the transfer saga still in progress as the deadline looms large.
Of course, Isak still managed to haunt the narrative. He dominated the build-up to the fixture, and the game itself was inevitably analyzed through the lens of the transfer stand-off.
Would Isak have buried one or more of Newcastle's early chances? Would Anthony Gordon have been so fired up without the whole saga? Would Will Osula have come on to score — and if Isak was at Liverpool, would Rio Ngumoha have got his chance?
But interesting as those questions may be, the big one still remains unresolved. What comes next for Isak?
With this game out of the way, there's a sense that there may be a little more scope for movement. Neither side was likely to blink in the immediate lead-up to the match; it's easy to imagine how a Liverpool approach on the eve of the contest might have gone down on Tyneside.
To date, Liverpool has only put in one bid for Isak. While hardly insulting, placing a fee in the region of the British record on the table, it's true that $149 million (£110 million) always looked like an opening salvo rather than a take-it-or-leave-it approach.
As such, the next logical step would be a second offer. Up to now, Liverpool has respected Newcastle's firm rejection of the first bid, but it may feel it has to at least test that resolve with an improved offer before Sept. 1.
After all, Isak has done more or less everything in his power to force a move from his side. He is refusing to play, and he has publicly put out a statement effectively calling for a transfer.
Liverpool only has so many ways that it can ramp up the pressure on Newcastle from its side of the equation. But it can come back in with more money, which may yet satisfy one of the rather opaque "conditions" of a sale referenced in the Magpies' statement.
But the biggest obstacles have not been cleared. Isak remains under contract for another three years, and — crucially — no suitable replacement has arrived at St James' Park.
Newcastle demonstrated a potential willingness to make something happen with a $68 million bid for Jorgen Strand Larsen shortly before the match with Liverpool. But that was knocked back, underlining the difficulty of completing the required deals ahead of the deadline.
As such, the likeliest outcome is surely that the stalemate lasts right through to the deadline. At that stage, a whole new can of worms will be opened, centered around exactly how willing Isak is to maintain his strike.
In the heat of the transfer episode, he has insisted that he will not play for Newcastle again. But it seems highly unlikely that stance will last indefinitely.
Once it becomes clear that he is stuck at Newcastle until at least January, Isak will surely just knuckle down. The reintegration may be bumpy, especially if the Gallowgate has anything to say about it, but there will be a will on all sides to get the striker back into the team and scoring goals.
Liverpool fans will remember the months after Philippe Coutinho's mystery back injury. The Brazilian played the football of his life, before ultimately departing to Barcelona in January.
Speaking of which, there's no reason to think that this saga will end on September 1. Liverpool has so far shown no sign of pursuing any alternatives to Isak, despite the front line looking a man light, and so there's every chance that it will return to the chase in January if it ends the summer empty-handed.
Newcastle holds all the cards for the foreseeable future with those three years left on Isak's deal, but that position is eroded ever so slightly with each passing day. Given months to prepare for the eventuality of his departure behind the scenes, perhaps it will be ready to revisit the matter in January.
That outcome is particularly likely in the event that the reintegration proves troublesome. Taking it as a given that Isak does at least come back to the team, he may nonetheless struggle for form, and find himself on the end of an increasingly untenable relationship with the fans.
In that sense, the looming transfer deadline may actually change very little for Liverpool. It will continue to keep a close eye on the situation, ready to make another move when given encouragement.
But with Newcastle naturally unwilling to grossly overpay for a rushed replacement in what remains of the window, that encouragement will surely not be forthcoming in the next few days. There's little more that Isak can do until September 1, with the Magpies continuing to effectively call his bluff regarding reintegration; Liverpool could roll the dice once more with an improved bid, but all signs point to this saga extending beyond the summer.
English (US) ·