Alexander Isak and the ugly bias emerging – Is anyone else getting sick of this?

With the first half the third international break in full swing, many media outlets have taken stock and analysed the Premier League so far, its standout performers, its surprise packages and its failures – with refereeing being particularly highlighted this week.

However away from all that, I thought it pertinent to spare a few words for a punditry trend that has an ugly bias at its heart from a group who are (supposed) to attempt to maintain a veneer of neutrality – much like referees…

Paul Merson was a pundit on Sky Sports last Sunday and the former Arsenal player was asked to give his opinion on whether Alexander Isak had ‘got his sparkle back’. His response was ‘I’m a big fan of this lad, I’m surprised Arsenal didn’t try and break the bank for him.’ He then added 40 seconds worth of Arsenal this, Arsenal that when asked to give his opinion on Newcastle United’s striker.

Fast forward to Monday and the BBC ran an article titled ‘This generation’s Thierry Henry’ – how good is Isak?’ and it included such insightful and diligent quotes as:

Isak is the sort of player Arsenal genuinely need, but you would say everyone needs a player like him in their team right now, even Liverpool, and it is not just Premier League teams who will be trying to get hold of him either.

And the absolute banger of a Walcott quote ‘If Arsenal want him, they have to be quick’ – all in a feature meant to discuss whether Isak is a player in the mould of Henry in the modern era. Some might say as a player who never fulfilled his potential, Walcott is jealous when he looks at a player of Isak’s ability and he’s ashamed of his former club’s ineptitude and inability to scout and sign these players Newcastle have snapped up ahead them – as United did with Bruno Guimaraes too – but that’s not for us to say…

Throw in media outlets in Isak’s native Sweden getting in on the act – they asked for him to comment on ongoing links to Arsenal AGAIN – and it’s a trend in modern football punditry that really need to be examined or clamped down on by the presenters who are meant to be guiding the conversation.

It also calls to mind the makeup of the punditry panels which is hugely frustrating too. Again, on Sunday the guests in the studio consisted of Graham Potter (ex-Chelsea manager and obviously on the grift for a new job), Paul Merson (ex-Arsenal) and Jamie Redknapp (ex-sicknote with clear allegiances). Where was the Newcastle representation?

Now I can hear many of you writing a comment saying, ‘don’t watch it, or get your buildup from a fan channel’ and that is certainly valid and the reason why many of them are thriving. But many of us pay hundreds of £’s a year to watch these games so surely it shouldn’t be too much to ask that you could watch the build-up/read the fulltime outcomes and opinion pieces without wanting to vomit into an AFTV merch mug?