Eddie Howe Reveals Tension in His Relationship with Alexander Isak
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has acknowledged that his relationship with Alexander Isak became “difficult” after the striker forced his way out of the team.
Isak, 25 years old, missed the club’s pre-season tour of Singapore and South Korea and trained alone upon his return before finalizing his transfer to Liverpool.
Alex and I always had a great relationship. I loved working with him and I hope he enjoyed working with us.
Eddie Howe
Newcastle’s coach, who signed Isak for 63 million pounds in the summer of 2022, commented on his relationship with the player. Howe highlighted that the relationship was beneficial for both.
However, the coach admitted that the situation changed when Isak forced his departure. “The moment he went on strike, our relationship changed. Communication became difficult from that moment on. I won’t go into more detail,” added Howe.Alexander Isak managed to finalize his transfer to Liverpool on the last day of the market.Isak’s departure led Newcastle to invest in Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart and Yoane Wissa from Brentford. Woltemade could debut against the Wolves on Saturday.
However, Wissa will be unavailable due to a knee injury sustained during international duty with the Democratic Republic of Congo, which could also rule him out of the Champions League match against Barcelona.
Howe confirmed that Wissa will not be available for the Premier League match. “I saw him for the first time yesterday, he feels the effects of the injury he suffered just before leaving, so we will have to see how he is,” he explained.
Regarding the severity of Wissa’s injury, Howe added: “I don’t know currently. I think he will undergo tests and perhaps see a specialist.”
Woltemade could have his first experience at St James’ Park on Saturday, and Howe has asked for patience while the 23-year-old German international tries to fill a considerable void.
Howe also commented on the impossibility of directly replacing Isak. “I think it’s important that we don’t compare whoever we bring in with Alex, because I think that’s very difficult to do. Each player who arrives is an individual with their own strengths and weaknesses,” he concluded.
The absence of Wissa, along with that of Jacob Ramsey, who will be out until after the October international break due to an ankle injury, is a blow for Howe, who is already without Anthony Gordon, who is suspended.
