Alexander Isak has been told he wouldn’t currently ‘look like a troublemaker’ if he had simply turned up for Newcastle training to ‘kick balls away’ and ‘be a d***’ to force a move to Liverpool.
Isak is currently training apart from his Newcastle teammates and refusing to play for the club as he looks to force through a move to Liverpool, with the striker citing ‘broken promises’ with regard to a new contract as the reason for his strike action in a statement he released on social media on Tuesday.
Isak said on Instagram: “I’ve kept quiet for a long time while others have spoken.
“That silence has allowed people to push their own version of events, even though they know it doesn’t reflect what was really said and agreed behind closed doors.
“The reality is that promises were made and the club has known my position for a long time. To now act as if these issues are only emerging is misleading.
“When promises are broken and trust is lost, the relationship can’t continue. That’s where things are for me right now – and why change is in the best interests of everyone, not just myself.”
Releasing a statement in response, Newcastle said: “We have been clear that the conditions for a sale this summer have not transpired. We do not foresee these conditions being met.”
It leaves Isak in limbo, with Liverpool unlikely to bid again until doors are opened that Newcastle insist will remain closed.
And although ‘quick’ movement is expected on the transfer after the two sides’ clash at St James’ Park on Monday night, Troy Deeney reckons Isak could have saved himself a lot of hassle by taking a leaf out of his book when he forced a move to Watford from Walsall in 2010 by ‘being a d*** in training’.
Deeney told The Sun: ‘In private, my agent said to me, “You’re going to have to kick up a fuss here.
‘”You’re going back to training and you’ll do all of the running, but as soon as a ball is involved, you’re going to have to ruin sessions, you’re going to have to kick balls away.
‘”But importantly, you can’t let anyone on the outside know what’s going on.”
‘It was really hard, you would go home feeling guilty, being a d*** in training for no reason, burning bridges for people you quite like.
‘But you’ve just got to remember who you’re doing it for: yourself. That’s how Isak will be feeling. This is a career-changing, career-defining move.
‘You’re going from Newcastle to one of the biggest clubs in world football in Liverpool, where you are probably going to win major titles.
‘But Isak hasn’t gone about it the smart way, and the agent’s been quite lazy in that regard, making big mistakes.
‘He’s making his player look like he’s a troublemaker because he’s not getting it done.
‘He should have said to Isak straight away: “Go into work, tick over, do all the runs, do all of that so you’re fit, but as soon as the ball is introduced, claim your back hurts and you go inside.”
‘If it was done like that, then the messaging is very different.’