00:00Alexander Isak to Liverpool. Easy.
00:05Nothing's ever easy when you're talking a Premier League record.
00:08And that's what it would have to be should Newcastle decide to sell their star man.
00:13A lot of people will be saying, well, Liverpool have lost Luis Diaz, played as a false nine.
00:17They've lost Darwin Nunez as a nine.
00:20They've only got Hugo Eketique with no Premier League experience.
00:23They need Premier League experience. They're going to go and get Alexander Isak.
00:26Well, that's a simple two plus two equals four, but this is far from simple maths.
00:29We know that Liverpool want flexibility and versatility in the next attacking signing that they bring into the football club.
00:36It would be safe to say they'd like to add to their forward areas,
00:39but it doesn't necessarily mean they're going to go and get someone who plays just as an under nine.
00:42Luis Diaz played as a left-sided player, played as a false nine, played as a ten, played on the right.
00:47He brought versatility, which is something that Arna Slott wants for that Liverpool side.
00:51He doesn't really want players that can play one position and one position only, particularly in those attacking areas.
00:56We know that they are interested in players that play down that left-hand side.
00:59They've been linked with the likes of Rodrigo.
01:01But then you look at the way that they've played over pre-season.
01:04And you look at the young 16-year-old, Rio Ngomoa, and look how good he's been.
01:09Would they want to go and spend 90 million euros on a player that's going to stifle and stop his development?
01:13Absolutely not. Liverpool want young players from the academy to go into that first team.
01:16They want a clear pathway. So, again, that rules out signing someone who would be considered just a left-sided player.
01:22Also, Arna Slott's comfortable with playing two tens.
01:25He did it in February last year against Manchester City.
01:27Sabozlai and Jones played as two tens. No nine on the pitch. They won 2-0 away from home.
01:32So, therefore, when you've got people like Florian Witts, Dominic Sabozlai and Hugo Ekotike,
01:36you can play on his own or play with someone else. You've got players there that can all fit into that fluid system.
01:41Okay, so, sorry to interrupt Mark, where does all this leave Isak? Are we in a situation where Isak unhappy,
01:47at a club who've basically ostracised him of late, is he going to be stuck at Newcastle?
01:52Now, ostracised based on his actions. So, I would say, like, Alexander Isak hasn't been forced out of the fold
01:58because they don't want him. He's done things that have made the hierarchy at Newcastle say,
02:03well, if that's the way you're going to act, then we need to remind you that this football club is bigger than you
02:07and you need to fall in line and do what we want. Otherwise, you're not going to be a part of it.
02:10So, if you'd have handled it better over the last few weeks, you'd have thought that maybe Eddie Howe would have played it in the opening games,
02:15but because of how it's happened, he's got no choice but just to leave him out.
02:18Absolutely, I think Eddie...
02:19This is apparently £150 million worth of footballer who's not going to be playing.
02:23And who's faulted that? Do Newcastle want Alexander Isak in the training camp?
02:28They don't win if he doesn't play, do they? I mean, I don't mean win games. I mean, they don't win this situation
02:32if a player of that quality isn't in their starting line-up.
02:36But also, there's a lot of other talented players at Newcastle United. There's other players that can play as a number nine.
02:41They've got a lot of options. They've signed Alexander, Anthony Alangasari, so they've got that option which they didn't have last season.
02:47Anthony Gordon's played as a false nine, Harvey Barnes there, so they've got options.
02:50Will Asula, maybe this could be his moment. What happens if Will Asula plays in that first game and he scores two goals?
02:55Alex who? Things change so quickly in football.
02:58I think if Alexander Isak had handled this situation differently, like other players have done,
03:03head down, train hard, ignore the noise, wait for the club to pay what your ownership club wants, then you'll get your move.
03:10He's gone about in a different way. There's no right or wrong way here.
03:13He'll be advised by his representatives that say, actually, this is the way we need to deal with this situation.
03:18We need to engineer something a little bit here, and that means you've got to do what we say,
03:21and that means you don't turn up to training, or you go and do this, and so on and so forth.
03:24So I think it's a situation that can change. Eddie Howe's starts will be, I want you in my team, I want you with a group,
03:30I want you training, and I want you involved, full stop. And to do that, this is what you need to do.
03:35But there has to be an example made where players know at Newcastle, you cannot just agitate for a move and get your way.
03:42You have to do it the right time.
03:44That's a message to the whole squad, not just he said.
03:45I think so.
03:46All right, listen, eight days until the football season starts. Of course, the deadline day is September 1st, Michael 1st.
03:51Do you think, come September 2nd, that Alexander Isak is wearing the back of white at Newcastle?
03:56Uh, no. If you don't, no.
03:59And gone to Liverpool?
04:00I would, I think so, because I think it's got to that stage where I think Newcastle will bring someone in.
04:05Yeah, yeah.
04:06Well, um, my gut feeling is no. I think he'll still be at Newcastle United.
04:10I just think, and this has always been their stance, A, they don't want to sell, B, we'll only sell if we have a top-class Champions League-ready striker in the building, signed up and ready to go.
04:20That's when we may consider an offer, if it's what we accept.
04:23And right now, do they have a replacement? No.
04:26Is there one out there? Possibly.
04:28So therefore, is a deal going to happen?
04:30Looks unlikely.
04:31But this is a transfer window and anything's possible?
04:33Anything but Mark says he doesn't think Newcastle wants to sell.
04:36Michael, the Darwin-Nunez deal agreed.
04:38Is that going to go through? Because I gather the player hasn't said yes or no yet.
04:42He's been given permission to finalise the move.
04:44Now, there were reports earlier that somebody wanted to move on to be a first-team regular somewhere.
04:48We told you, we told yesterday that they'd reached an agreement for a fixed fee of £46.2 million plus add-ons.
04:53That would take the fee to £56.6 million if it does go to Al-Hilal.
04:58Now, there's much been mentioned about Liverpool's signings and how much they've spent there.
05:02If that does go through, that's Nunez at the door for around £50 million.
05:05And Luis Diaz, let's not forget, has left for Bayern Munich as well.
05:08So there have been some outgoings as well as the incomings as well.
05:11Indeed.
05:12You could say Girard-Quanzer was there, £34 million.
05:14Trent Alexander, Arnold, £10 million.
05:16For a month.
05:17For a month as well.
05:18Huge, huge, amazing. Astonishing business, really, let's be honest.
05:21So therefore, Liverpool, whilst yes, they have spent a lot of money, their net spend now off the back of Nunez,
05:27should he go to the Saudi Broly, would be almost minuscule by some standards.
05:32I don't mean to be belittling of huge sums of money, but when you look at what teams spend,
05:36they've actually been really clever, really creative, and that's what's amazing.
05:39Another player potentially could head out the door, Ben Doe, we'll talk about him later in the show.
05:42More PSR, 100% profit.
05:44Is there a possibility, Michael, that Isak starts the season wearing black and white of Newcastle and plays his first game?
05:51If you're asking for that, I don't think so, because he's not featured with his teammates,
05:56he hasn't been part of a pre-season tour, there's his talk of a minor injury, and we've got nearly just over a week to go.
06:02Look, David would love to have him. I can't see him, can you?
06:05I can't see him playing, you know, you have to be...
06:07Still being at the club, though?
06:08Possibly still at the club, I don't think he'll start the game.
06:10Yeah, I think Newcastle United won't sanction a move for Alexander Isak to any other club in the world,
06:14unless they have what they feel is a top-class Champions League-ready striker to start games.
06:19You have to remember, they're actually in the market for a striker anyway, because of the departure of Callum Wilson.
06:23So therefore, they're one striker light because of him, Alexander Isak not with that Eddie Howe first-team squad at the moment,
06:28so therefore, technically, they're two strikers light, and they're not going to suddenly just sell, even if the offer was huge, just to accept the money.
06:35They have to leave themselves in a position where they feel they are stronger at the start of the season
06:40than they were when they finished last season, and they won silverware and got into the Champions League.
06:44So therefore, any thought of Alexander Isak going without a replacement is silly.
06:47And really, to answer what Michael said, if people think that Alexander Isak is going to walk straight back into that first team
06:53and play that first game, I think they'd be naive.
06:55Eddie Howe has said he has to earn the right to train with his teammates.
06:59He has to earn the right to be in that starting 11, and right now, he's not amongst it.
07:02So therefore, you'd be really surprised if he suddenly was to start games.
07:06And Eddie Howe will also know as well, when Newcastle qualified for the Champions League last time,
07:10as much as the fans enjoyed it, the league form was affected as well, and they missed out narrowly on Europe for the season after, didn't they?
07:15So they do need those extra bodies. All these clubs in Europe are going to need extra players.
07:18It's a huge challenge, because suddenly they've got eight extra games in the Champions League.
07:21That could be 10, 12, 14, 16, depending on their progress.
07:24If they want to go and win the FA Cup and the League Cup, as they've already done and proven they want to do,
07:28that could add another six, eight, nine games, depending on how much they progress as well in those competitions collectively.
07:33And to do that, to play the intensity of football that Eddie Howe wants...
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