Sweden national team manager Jon Dahl Tomasson launched an impassioned defence of Alexander Isak and insisted that the “bigger picture” of the increasingly political transfer saga between Newcastle United and Liverpool remains unknown.
The prolific forward was predictably left out of Eddie Howe’s squad for Saturday’s Premier League opener Aston Villa. At the end of a goalless stalemate at Villa Park, a large portion of Newcastle’s fans belted out an expletive chant to express the dim view taken of their supposedly “greedy” striker.
Howe insists that he is eager to welcome Isak back into the fold but the decision rests with the player in question. Isak, who has remained deafeningly silent throughout the rumbling saga, has reportedly told Newcastle that he will never play for the club again, even if he doesn’t secure a move to Liverpool this summer.
A queue of critics have formed to lament Isak’s actions—which remain purely hearsay until either he or the club confirm such a stance has been taken—and Tomasson was keen to defend his star striker. “First of all Alex is an extremely professional player,” the Sweden boss told fotbollskanalen. “A fantastic character and personality. I have spoken to Alex a lot during this period.
“Situations like this are quite complex. These are extremely complex environments that the players operate in. I’m sure it will work out in the end, but you have to know the whole picture before you draw conclusions. That’s always a good tip.”
Isak supposedly informed Newcastle of his desire to leave long before Liverpool made their first formal offer of £110 million ($148.6 million) at the start of August. Eddie Howe’s side strongly refute that claim, prompting a circle of pointing fingers and large plumes of doubt.
“I don’t think we know it. I don’t know the whole picture either,” Tomasson lamented. “It’s quite normal because there’s a lot of politics in a football club. But one thing is for sure: Alex is a great guy and very professional. We should all be very careful about drawing conclusions because we don’t know the bigger picture.”
More speculation has been caused by Isak’s likely decision to snub the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) awards gala on Tuesday. BBC Sport claim that the 25-year-old forward, who is one of six nominees for the marquee Players’ Player of the Year gong, is not expected to attend the ceremony which will be held at the Manchester Opera House.
Isak’s location next Monday will be even more keenly anticipated as Newcastle are scheduled to host Liverpool at St James’ Park in a Premier League clash with one glaringly obvious narrative.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘A Lot of Politics’—Sweden Boss Provides Insight Into Alexander Isak Transfer Saga.
