London, Aug 20 (IANS) Following Alexander Isak’s bombshell statement, claiming he has lost trust in Newcastle United, club legend and all-time Premier League top goalscorer, Alan Shearer, revealed his conversation with the 25-year-old from a few months back, stating he sees a complete U-turn from what he saw back then.
As per reports, Isak has no intention of playing for Newcastle United again and has been training on his own. He was left out of the club’s pre-season friendlies and was not a part of the side that drew 0-0 vs Aston Villa on the opening weekend of the Premier League.
“I sat down with him, what, five or six months ago, Alex. I didn’t see this in him, to be honest. I thought he was a manager’s dream, to be honest, the way he spoke and the way he, sort of, was talking about himself and the club and his life and everything else,” said Shearer on ‘The Rest Is Football’ podcast.
“So obviously something has massively upset him, and we don’t know that, but those two circumstances, Trent and Alexander Isak, are totally different,” he added.
Isak’s refusal to play for Newcastle has drawn widespread criticism amongst the faithful at the club, which was evident during Newcastle’s draw against Aston Villa. Many have compared the Swede’s situation to that of Trent Alexander-Arnold, who received hate from the Liverpool fans after he decided not to sign a new contract and join Real Madrid as a free agent.
But according to former England striker Gary Lineker, it was a completely different situation, given Isak still has three years left on his contract.
“Trent was a kid who was brought up in Liverpool. He came to the end of his contract. He didn’t refuse to play, he didn’t refuse to train, and then was well within his rights to leave. Now, Isak’s got three years left on his contract; it doesn’t take a genius to work that out, does it? Come on.
“I think Liverpool fans’ problem is that he (Alexander-Arnold) is a Liverpool lad and they feel like they didn’t get a monster transfer fee for him,” said Lineker.
Isak has strengthened his efforts to leave Newcastle United in the summer transfer window with a statement that accused his club of not telling the truth over events.
Although Newcastle has already rejected an offer of over 100 million pounds (135 million U.S. dollars) for Isak, coach Eddie Howe has admitted he doesn’t have “full control” of the situation. With the transfer window due to close at midnight next Monday, Isak has looked to force his move through with his statement, which he issued after not appearing at the ceremony to recognise last season’s Premier League team of the season.
“It didn’t feel right to be there,” wrote Isak, who commented that he had “kept quiet for a long time while others have spoken.”
The striker wrote that his silence had allowed people to push their own version of events, “even though they know it doesn’t reflect what was really said and agreed behind closed doors.”
“The reality is that promises were made, and the club [Newcastle] has known my position for a long time. To now act as if these issues are only emerging is misleading,” continued Isak, who insists that “when promises are broken and trust is lost, the relationship can’t continue.”
“Change is in the best interests of everyone, not just myself,” he concluded.
Newcastle quickly responded with a statement of its own, saying, “We are clear in response that Alex remains under contract and that a club official has ever made no commitment that Alex can leave Newcastle United this summer.”
“As explained to Alex and his representatives, we must always take into consideration the best interests of Newcastle United, the team, and our supporters in all decisions, and we have been clear that the conditions of a sale this summer have not transpired.”
“We do not foresee those conditions being met,” the club said.
–IANS
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