Newcastle United may be insistent that Alexander Isak is not for sale, and Eddie Howe may be cautiously asserting his confidence that the Swede will “be here at the start of the season”, but there is a lot more uncertainty within the club. Many are worried. A feeling is growing that Isak’s head has been turned, with that accentuated by the club’s frustrations in the transfer market. The 25-year-old is coming into his prime, and just qualifying for the Champions League is no longer enough.
No matter what else Howe says, it is hardly encouraging that the manager admits he has “to send him home” from a pre-season friendly “due to the speculation around him”. That is a strange and conspicuous decision in such circumstances. Some teammates won’t even be drawn on his future. There were still other alarm-bell lines from Howe, even as he maintained Isak is “happy at Newcastle”. Among them were “I respect a player’s career and how short it is”.
