Journalist now downplays importance of Champions League qualification in terms of Newcastle United keeping hold of stars

After Newcastle United released their financial results on Tuesday, it painted a picture of a club very much on the up, at least in terms of revenue.

On the pitch, however, there's a visible stutter in terms of moving forward. The current squad is paper thin and, especially at the back, showing signs of age.

As we enter the final phase of the season, the cracks are really starting to show and Newcastle are dropping off the pace required to qualify for the Champions League.

Anthony Gordon's three-match ban and now Lewis Hall's season-ending injury aren't going to help matters, either.

Getty Images

Missing out on the Champions League will be a blow but shouldn't affect Alexander Isak's future

Not qualifying for the Champions League would be a less-than-ideal scenario for Newcastle, but it wouldn't be the end of the world, either.

The biggest fear that comes with not qualifying for Europe's prestigious competition would be that Alexander Isak sees it as a failure by the club to achieve what he was sold on, and starts to look elsewhere.

However, Chris Waugh has now said in his Q&A for The Athletic, that he doesn't believe missing out on Champions League would necessarily trigger that response from Isak.

The message from Newcastle United remains that they will not sell

Waugh brings it back to the two simple facts that there's unlikely to be a club out there who could afford him anyway, but also that Newcastle United are adamant they aren't selling any big players this summer.

"But failing to qualify for Europe’s premier competition does not automatically mean Isak or any other star players will leave. For a start, there needs to be a buyer with the financial capacity to tempt Newcastle to sell, and the consistent message in recent weeks has been that the club has no intention of losing any of their elite players, especially not Isak."

That messaging was once again reinforced yesterday after Darren Eales spoke about the club's financial results. Newcastle hold all the cards in terms of negotiating Isak's future.