It takes a special kind of self-entitled, spoiled, arrogant, disrespectful man to make the despotic rulers of Saudi Arabia, the owners of Newcastle United, look like the good guys.
But congratulations are due to Alexander Isak: he is making a jolly good fist of becoming the first footballer to pull it off.
Isak, who was such a joy to watch last season, was idolised at St James’s Park and hailed as a potential successor to Alan Shearer and Kevin Keegan.
But his conduct over the last few weeks, and his refusal to play for fans who have invested so much emotion in him as he chases a move away, has left him looking like damaged goods.
The poor, wronged, soul is said to be earning £120,000 a week and still has three years left on his lucrative contract. But he wants more. And when more didn’t materialise, he decided he wanted out and is coveted by Liverpool.
His behaviour hit a new low on Tuesday night when he released a statement that moaned self-pityingly of ‘when promises are broken and trust is lost’. He said his relationship with Newcastle was broken. He said that change was ‘in the best interests of everyone’.
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Alexander Isak’s treatment of Newcastle United has been spoiled, arrogant and disrespectful
The Swede is refusing to train with Eddie Howe’s squad as he bids to force a move to Liverpool
His refusal to play for the fans and his team-mates has made Isak look like damaged goods
Except, the thing is, change is not in Newcastle’s best interests. Isak moving now, when Newcastle have been unable to lure a replacement to the north east, would leave them without a recognised centre forward and destroy their season almost before it has started.
Isak’s tainted reputation, though, presents the Saudis with an opportunity to rekindle their popularity on Tyneside after more and more questions have started to be asked about the way they are running the club they bought in 2021.
The checks and balances imposed by the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules have made it impossible for the club’s owners to wield their fabulous wealth in player recruitment in the way they had originally hoped.
But Isak going on strike and then openly taking on the club and demanding to be sold offers them a chance to take advantage of their riches in a way that few other owners in world football could imagine.
If Isak refuses to play, the Saudis have the resources to call his bluff. If any owners have the wealth to let him rot – and in a World Cup year, too – then it is the nation state of Saudi Arabia. His wages are small change to them.
Isak may just have picked the wrong owners to mess with. Bad things tend to happen when you cross Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of the kingdom. Put it this way, now that this has become a stand-off, it would hardly be a surprise if it were Isak who blinked first.
‘We want to keep our best players,’ the club statement said, ‘but we also understand players have their own wishes and we listen to their views.
‘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.
Isak snubbed the PFA’s awards ceremony in Manchester on Tuesday night, despite being nominated for PFA Players’ Player of the Year, which was won by Mohamed Salah (above)
He broke silence on social media with a bombshell statement to explain Tuesday’s absence
Chief Sports Writer OLIVER HOLT says rejections were supposed to be a thing of the past at Newcastle
‘We do not foresee those conditions being met… Alex remains part of our family and will be welcomed back when he is ready to rejoin his teammates.’
The statement strengthened the idea this could be a public relations dream for the Saudis, cast as owners who football fans have been craving, owners who finally had the stones to stand up to a prima donna player and his agent, owners who would be doing everyone a favour by sticking it to player-power.
Let’s face it, it has been a horrible summer for Newcastle and their owners. Last season’s triumphs in winning the Carabao Cup and qualifying again for the Champions League have been followed by a series of humiliations in the transfer market.
More specifically, they have been followed by rejection. Rejection after rejection. Liam Delap didn’t want to go to Tyneside. He chose Chelsea instead. Joao Pedro preferred Chelsea, too. Hugo Ekitike turned his back on the idea of a move to the north east and went to Liverpool.
Most recently, Benjamin Sesko snubbed Newcastle’s advances and joined Manchester United even though United are coming off the back of a disastrous season. That one must have stung particularly painfully.
Rejections were not supposed to be part of the deal when Saudi Arabia bought the club in 2021. Rejections were supposed to be consigned to the past. Newcastle fans sang songs about Kylian Mbappe signing up. Neymar was mentioned as a potential capture. They had the richest owners in world football, after all.
Instead, they have been made to feel like pariahs this summer, a feeling exacerbated by the public disrespect shown to them by Isak. Now, it looks as if Isak may have overplayed his hand. And played into the hands of Saudi owners he has been unwise enough to turn into a foe.
