The final WhatsApp message that Alexander Isak sent to his Newcastle team-mates following the completion of his £125million move to Liverpool has been revealed.
Isak finalised a British record transfer to Liverpool on deadline day after going on strike and forcing an exit from St James’ Park.
Newcastle defender Dan Burn disclosed that Isak sent a message in which he thanked his team-mates.
‘He put a message in the chat just saying that he was leaving, and thanks for the memories,’ Burn said.
‘All that sort of stuff, and the lads replied. But as I said, I think Alex is getting what he wants, and now we’ve just got to focus and do what we can with the players that we’ve got.’
Burn believes Isak’s protracted departure from Newcastle has acted as a catalyst to further strengthen the squad’s resolve.
The last WhatsApp message Alexander Isak sent his Newcastle team-mates has been revealed
Isak finalised a British record transfer to Liverpool on deadline day after going on strike
Dan Burn stated that he holds no animosity towards Isak following the striker’s departure
Burn, a Newcastle supporter, holds no animosity towards the Sweden international but did claim that the disruption across an unsettling summer should act as a positive.
‘I’m glad it’s done, we wanted the transfer window to close just to have clarity,’ Burn said. ‘Alex is my mate at the end of the day, so it was a tough situation.
‘But I’m glad that we’re getting a good return on a player that we’ve had, and he’s getting the move that he wanted.
‘It brought us closer [as a squad], really. I think it can be frustrating at times, because everything was so positive last season, so that took a little bit of a shine off.
‘But I’m not silly, I’ve been around football a long time now, and people have short careers, and they want to max out absolutely everything they can, so there’s no hard feelings from me.’
Newcastle’s 37-word statement to announce Isak’s departure summed up the feeling towards the striker by the majority in the north east.
Burn added: ‘You know what Newcastle fans are like, we’re protective of our club and city and you want players who want to be there for Newcastle. I understand why our fans were frustrated.’
Eddie Howe landed Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade to bolster his attacking options ahead of Newcastle’s Champions League campaign.
