Dealing with Alexander Isak reality – Striker reintegrated into Newcastle United team | OneFootball

There is a very good reason why Eddie Howe is keeping the door open for Alexander Isak.

The Newcastle United boss making this clear before and after the Aston Villa match on Saturday.

Eddie Howe not pretending that it will be straightforward or easy.

However, the NUFC Head Coach keeps repeating that all it needs is for Alexander Isak to make that first move.

As the proverb goes – Every journey begins with a single step.

In the case of Alexander Isak that single first step is apologising to Eddie Howe, saying he accepts he has handled this about as badly as he possibly could have, that his agent and Liverpool led him to believe that this would be a transfer done and dusted in double quick time.

Instead, Liverpool have left Alexander Isak high and dry, refusing to put in a credible offer for the striker, whilst the player’s agent continues to feed incendiary nonsense to the media, rather than looking after Isak’s best interests.

The reality is, Alexander Isak has no other door to walk through, apart from the one Eddie Howe is determinedly keeping ajar for him.

We would all love a magic button to be pressed and £150m deposited in NUFC’s bank account by a club in a far away overseas league where we will hear very little of what Alexander Isak the does, whilst that £150m is invested in a striker as good as Isak and enough left over to pay for Yoane Wissa to arrive as Callum Wilson’s replacement.

In the real world though, none of that can/will happen, apart from the bit about Wissa arriving as Wilson’s replacement, wherever the funds for that deal may come from.

I thought the travelling Newcastle United fans were magnificent on Saturday.

Fully behind the team on the pitch throughout the match and then AFTER that was done, making clear their displeasure at the actions of Alexander Isak.

This is the page we are all on at the minute, including Eddie Howe.

No doubt many fans look at this and think in this moment, how it must be nonsense to think Alexander Isak will return to play for Newcastle United this season.

This is football though and this type of scenario has happened many a time at clubs.

A move to Liverpool, or any other club, is not happening this summer and once Alexander Isak finally accepts it, he can stop digging ever deeper the hole he has created for himself and start the process of climbing out.

Once he accepts that, Eddie Howe and his teammates will help him climb out of that hole and in time, the fans as well.

Just like was the case on Saturday, Newcastle United fans will support any NUFC team on the pitch that has Alexander Isak in it.

Eddie Howe will ask us to do so and why would you go against the miracle worker who has worked his magic these past near four years?

It won’t be without its tough moments but reality is that this 2025/26 season, if everybody pulls together, we can all get what we want by the time we get to summer 2026, including Alexander Isak.

If repeating, or even bettering, his 2024/25 season contribution, Alexander Isak would have a choice of pretty much any club, not just a single club who have led him on so badly and are unwilling to even make a credible offer.

Nobody has to forgive or forget if they don’t want to BUT all we are interested in is backing Eddie Howe to help make Newcastle United the most successful club it can possibly be.

As somebody else once said, ‘Sorry’ is the hardest word to say. When Alexander Isak is ready to say it to Eddie Howe, everything else can follow.