Alan Shearer slams Newcastle United rebel Alexander Isak following his inflammatory statement in midweek
Alan Shearer has accused Alexander Isak of pouring petrol on the fire with his controversial statement in which he pointed the finger of blame at Newcastle United.
Alexander Isak was due to attend the PFA Awards on Tuesday night, having been included in the PFA's Team of the Season and being one of the six players nominated for the PFA Players' Player of the Year.
However, with all that's going on with his stand-off at Newcastle United, the striker opted to stay at home and instead put out a statement on social media explaining his absence.
Rather than leave it there, though, the 25-year-old took aim at Newcastle United and accused the club of broken promises and a lack of trust. Newcastle responded in kind later that night, telling him to shut up and get on with his job, in the politest way possible.
Alan Shearer was less than impressed with Alexander Isak's statement
Speaking about the statement on The Rest Is Football podcast, former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer was not amused with Isak's statement and echoed Simon Jordan's words, asking Isak to name who said what rather than the vague 'somebody told me' statement.
“It’s very sad after what should have been Newcastle kicking on after winning their trophy and finishing in the Champions League spot. It should have been a great pre-season for them, but obviously, it’s been overshadowed by this and other signings they couldn’t get through the door.
“I was flabbergasted at his statement. Obviously, because he couldn’t attend the PFA awards, he and his representatives felt that it was the best he could do to put something out. But that was just chucking petrol on the fire.
“I mean, it was just bizarre, wasn’t it, to say that someone had agreed verbally with him or his agent? You’re in football for goodness' sake. I would have a look at the agent if I were him to say, ‘why on earth have you let me sign a six-year contract with no get-out clause?’
“You need something in writing! He was in a strong position when they were paying £60million for him on a six-year deal. Then there is no get-out clause. You know as well as I do, we’ve all been in the game long enough. You can’t just accept what someone says (the promise made to Isak).
“And by the way, who was it? What did they say? And when was it? That would be the next question. But you can’t just accept and say, ‘Ok at the end of the season, we might perhaps agree to let you go verbally’. Football doesn’t work like that. We’ve all been in it long enough. We know how it works.”
Alexander Isak's broken promises are a moot point, as the people involved are no longer at the club
Craig Hope has maintained that the broken promises to which Isak is referring were verbal agreements between himself and Amanda Staveley about an improved deal last summer, which Paul Mitchell broke when he came in as sporting director. The promise was made by someone who was no longer at the club and broken by someone who is now also not at the club. What is he expecting to happen?
It has been well established since his resignation that Paul Mitchell was a divisive figure, to put it mildly, so surely Isak should have seen his departure as a good sign that the contract talks would have gone a lot more smoothly this summer, but instead of giving it a chance, he pressed the self-destruct button.
Whatever happens is on him, and pointing fingers at the club that is not the same as it was when these alleged promises were made gets him absolutely nowhere.
