Alexander Isak: A crossroads moment in the PIF project at Newcastle United

The Alexander Isak/Hugo Ekitike saga has ramped up this week. It is going to be the main story of the transfer window. Get used to ‘powerplays’ and client journalism, because as supporters have been thrown into the middle of this one.

Liverpool supporters have approached it with arrogance. Of course, we will take your best player. Know your place. However, this is the chance for Newcastle United to take a stance. It is a crossroads in the project.

Either, we keep our franchise player and the face of the new era of the club. Or, we cash in and use the funds to propel the squad to a new level. Below, we discuss the pros and cons of both sides.

Keep Alexander Isak

This is the popular and default option for the majority of supporters. It’s understandable. Isak is our best player and the one we are most excited at seeing on matchday. He plays with incredible skill and makes the impossible, possible. The way he has made the very best defenders in the Premier League look ordinary, all while wearing the black and white has been incredible to see.

There have been so many moments. Isak is already a club legend and we have only scratched the surface of what he is capable of. At the age of 25, he could reach new levels and if he left this month, it would feel like he was leaving before his story had finished.

As supporters, we look back at his memorable assist against Everton, as he danced past several defenders while walking a tightrope on the touchline. Then, there is his goal in the Carabao Cup final, an incredible finish that he made look like a tap in. How could we ever be in favour of letting Isak leave?

That is the emotional argument and it is the one that we will all immediately think when the question of Isak’s future is raised.

There is also the business argument to keep Isak. We are entering a Champions League campaign and Isak playing in our team will increase our chances of going deep in the competition. Injuries limited his impact two years ago. This time, he will be desperate to make his mark on the competition and announce himself as one of the world’s best. It would be a shame to see him do that in another shirt.

The owners have regularly stated their ambition to be number one. Optically, it wouldn’t be great to sell our best player to a Premier League rival. It would be a reminder of the status quo and the glass ceiling we know exists. For the majority of the fan base, it would be difficult not to see the news as a major blow to our ambitions.

Sell Alexander Isak

It would hurt. It would be unexpected and it may make us appear weak. To go from a stubborn ‘not for sale’ stance to selling our best player. Liverpool are putting the pressure on by making a fierce PR assault, making their position clear and attempting to force the player into pushing for an exit.

Isak doesn’t seem the type of player to push for a move. He has repeatedly spoken about how happy he is on Tyneside, but we would be foolish to consider that he wouldn’t be interested in a move to Liverpool.

They offer a better chance to win the biggest trophies and more importantly, they will be able to offer a wage that is more equitable to a player of his ability. The club will know that Isak is good enough to earn £350k upwards, but we are unable to offer that sort of money under PSR.

Why would we sell Isak? The main reason is PSR. We know it is going to continue to haunt the club for years (or as long as it remains in the regulations), as we simply don’t have the revenues to compete with the ‘top six’.

Liverpool fans have been vocal on social media about this being our ‘Coutinho moment’. That point comes from self-interest, but it is a good point. With the money, we would be able to feather the nest and give Eddie Howe a deeper squad, even if we don’t have Alexander Isak in attack. We know we have a first eleven to compete with the best, but we don’t have the squad to match yet. If we want to regularly qualify for the Champions League, we need a deeper squad.

There is also an argument that keeping Isak may limit his own output. If his head has been turned, we may not see the same level of performance from him in the coming season. I find that outcome unlikely, but not impossible.

Next summer, we may not get as much money for Isak and the striker market for a replacement may not be as good. Hugo Ekitike is clearly the club’s preferred target and Liverpool have made it clear they will not let us have both.

Verdict

Although there is some appeal to selling Isak, it feels like it’s not the right time for the club. If it was the same question about Anthony Gordon or Bruno Guimaraes, maybe it would be a different outcome. Isak is the poster boy of the project and we need him leading the side in the Champions League.

It’s certainly a gamble and one we may look back on with some regret, but it is a powerful stance for the club to make. For all the noise about Isak, he can’t be agitating for a move as much as some bias accounts will make you believe.

Liverpool are now ready to hijack our move for Ekitike and it looks like the pair will not be playing in the same team next season, with the Frenchman now looking all set to sign at Anfield.

There’s still time for the club to have a great transfer window. We will sign players and we will finish the summer with a stronger squad than we started.

And whatever happens from now, we will certainly be a stronger team with Alexander Isak, than without him.