As important as it is for Newcastle United to quieten the storm brewing around their world-class striker – Eddie Howe tried his best on Saturday, sending Isak home from Glasgow to shield him from the scrutiny – there is a bigger picture at play here. And it is one that demands some answers from those in charge at St James’ Park.
So far Newcastle haven’t done a lot wrong on this one. Perhaps they could have got hold of the story a bit earlier last week but the not-for-sale mantra is robust and authentic. They also have a manager smart enough to surf this particular transfer tsunami.
Howe watched his side lose 4-0 to Celtic on Saturday (Photo: Getty)“Irreplaceable” is how Howe described Isak. “Certainly, I’m confident that he’s going to be here at the start of the season,” he continued.
That is why the Reds signed Hugo Ekitike instead, a deal that – conveniently – means they can bide their time when it comes to Isak.
PIF-owned Al-Hilal were linked on Friday but where to start with that one? Detonating the momentum of the Premier League club in their portfolio by green-lighting a move for their star striker certainly wasn’t part of the grand plan to turbocharge progress which was discussed when club bigwigs met in Northumberland earlier this year.
Those are occupational hazards of having a really good team, though. What is a bigger worry at the moment is strategy – on everything from stadium to recruitment and the executive team. We thought these things would be resolved by now but PIF haven’t got a grip on any of it yet. There have been encouraging soundbites but little action on big ticket stuff.
Liverpool-bound Ekitikie is one of six targets Newcastle have missed out on (Photo: Getty)
The club have oscillated wildly from one structure that took a chunk of power and responsibility for recruitment – short and long-term – away from Howe, to a new interim arrangement which makes him the biggest and most influential voice on that front, working in tandem with his nephew Andy, who is the club’s assistant head of recruitment.
At the moment there is still plenty of time to turn it around but have lessons been learned from 2024? Then they waited for Crystal Palace to buckle on Marc Guehi’s price, standing by their very reasonable offer. But Palace didn’t crumble, and neither have Burnley over Trafford. Brentford aren’t about to do them any favours on Yoane Wissa, even if he is their number one target now.
Tellingly, the Newcastle manager admitted some of their targets weren’t “desperate” enough to play for the club. Should they have known they were down the list of Pedro and Mbeumo’s preferences?
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“Financial [considerations] play a huge part, anyone who doesn’t think that’s true is deluded,” Howe admitted.
With momentum perhaps ebbing away those issues need to be resolved – and fast.
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