Alexander Isak and Newcastle feud takes ugly turn after broken promise accusation

Alexander Isak has made it clear he has no plans to play for Newcastle again with his gripes with the club dating back to a contract promise that was never followed through

Alexander Isak remains furious over a broken contract promise that led him to decide last season would be his final one at Newcastle – and he now has no intention of playing for the Magpies again.

The Swede expressed a desire to look elsewhere this summer, leading to Liverpool’s interest, but those at St James’ Park have made it clear they will not sell under any circumstances. Isak is currently training away from the rest of the squad, but doesn’t want to be reintegrated.

That had been the plan under Eddie Howe, but Isak remains angered by the way last year’s contract saga played out. The striker has continued to excel at Newcastle and is now viewed among the best strikers in Europe, but no new deal was put to him last term.

It was former director and minority co-owner Amanda Staveley who had promised Isak that he and the club would sit down to discuss a new deal, which was just rewards for his efforts. However she departed before both parties could come to the negotiating table.

Paul Mitchell came in as sporting director and quickly u-turned on that promise, which didn’t go down well with Isak. He cited the need to remain compliant with PSR rules, but in October last year Anthony Gordon signed a new long-term deal.

READ MORE: Alexander Isak REFUSES to play for Newcastle again in bid to force £150m Liverpool transferREAD MORE: Alexander Isak dealt fresh reality check as Liverpool transfer hits new hurdle

Isak was already on a well paid contract until 2028 and extending him was not seen as a matter of urgency, but it was then that he made it clear this would be his final season with Newcastle. Some at the club deny that was the message with discussions simply pushed back.

The Athletic reports that two weeks before the season ended the striker told Howe of his wish to leave and then double down on that during a call to the manager before flying to Sweden after the club’s loss on the final day to Everton.

Howe has made it clear that, as things stand, he can’t pick Isak ahead of their Premier League opener at Aston Villa this weekend. The Newcastle boss said: “For me, I’m just trying to manage the situation and manage the team, most importantly manage the group of players that I’m working with day to day, that I love coaching and helping. We’re focusing on Aston Villa. Everything else, to a degree, from my perspective is not in my control, so it’s not my focus.”

When Howe was quizzed on whether he believed he could talk Isak into changing his stance he said: “If it was that easy, I’d have done it yesterday.”

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.