The Aftermath: Who Are The Real Winners of the Isak-Ekitike Saga?
The dust is settling, the uncertainty is over for now... yet Newcastle are no closer to adding to their talented yet stretched squad.
It's been a bizarre week on Tyneside. Fever dreams of signing one of the world's most exciting young strikers quickly got dashed with a sobering dose of reality, as Liverpool threw a spiteful spanner in the works; "Give us your star striker, or we take your prime target instead."
It was a ploy that was called a 'power play' by some sections of the Liverpool fanbase, and a 'clever smokescreen from Newcastle' by ours. In reality, both claims are probably wide of the mark. Deep down, I feel both sets of fans ultimately come up feeling slightly disappointed. There are no real winners here, except maybe Frankfurt and Ekitike himself.
The Good...
In a straight striker shoot-out, I doubt there are many football fans on this planet that would choose Hugo Ekitike over Alexander Isak. It was the notion of them playing together, and the greedy ambition of having two of the world's most exciting strikers that had Newcastle fans' eyes lighting up. At the end of the day though, Newcastle exit this saga with the more experienced, complete and proven striker. Not even the most bullish of Liverpool fans can deny it.
There is also the knowledge that, (as if we could doubt it before) we finally have a hierarchy that refuses to be bullied by the 'Super League 6'. Liverpool fans have surpassed even the entitlement and arrogance of Arsenal supporters in recent weeks with their perceived god-given right to Isak. But the Swedish superstar is staying on Tyneside for now. And in an era where payer power rules supreme, Isak didn't kick up a fuss. He quietly went about his business. Once Liverpool announced their interest in Ekitike, Isak effectively saw the window of opportunity for a move to Liverpool closing. He did nothing, much to (I'm sure) the Scousers' disappointment.
Not only that, our interest in Ekitike has effectively forced Liverpool's hand. They've gone in for their last resort, and after Newcastle inflated the price with a rejected £70 million bid, Liverpool are paying another Darwin Nunez-esque fee for a player that comes with similar worries of 'Darwizzy Deja-vu'...
Time will tell if Liverpool have signed a gem, or have blown the striker budget they were earmarking for Isak on another dud.
For Newcastle, there is perhaps the boring, pragmatic, yet undeniable truth that we need depth right now, perhaps even more than marquee signings. The £70M from the Ekitike bid can now go towards reinforcements in the midfield, defence and goalkeeper departments.
The Bad...
While Newcastle are building a reputation of holding onto their prize assets... they're also building a reputation of missing out on key targets in the transfer window. Dean Huijsen... Liam Delap... Bryan Mbuemo... Joao Pedro... and now Hugo Ekitike... Newcastle have lost out on all these players this summer.
Huijsen quite understandably chose the bright lights of the biggest club in world football; Real Madrid. The La Liga club is a titan so big that even Liverpool are losing homegrown legends to it. Liam Delap also quite understandably saw his first-team chances easier to come by against Nicholas Jackson as opposed to Alexander Isak. But the likes of Mbuemo, Pedro and Ekitike definitely stung.
We won't know for sure whether Newcastle walked away after the £70M bid, or if Ekitike made it clear his preference was Liverpool, but there is a worrying trend at Newcastle this summer. It is also obvious that Newcastle's financial disparity with the Super League 6 is still an issue. We simply can't compete with the wages that Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool have offered to our targets this summer.
There is also the uncertainty of Alexander Isak's future...
It is true that Alexander Isak didn't force a move, and is still here with three years left on his contract. However, we've seen with the likes of Harry Kane, Marc Guehi, and now Yoane Wissa just how much your price dwindles when the contract reaches 24 months... 18 months... 12 months...
We need to know where Isak stands. Would he sign a new deal? Would he want a release clause inserted? Would he want assurances on improvements to the squad? And with such a power vacuum at boardroom level in Newcastle United... who exactly is sorting this contract out? I have said previously that three more years of Alexander Isak and then losing him on a free aged on the cusp of 29 wouldn't necessarily be the end of the world. But it would be nice for some certainty.
Much like a petty school bully looking for new ways to irritate and annoy; Liverpool fans are inhaling all the copium they can find, most of all the hopes that they can secure Isak in 12 months' time on a reduced fee. I firmly hope the PIF has Liverpool's phone number blocked after this whole saga...
The Ugly
Football fandom can be primal, visceral and very, very ugly. Discourse online can turn abusive and unsavoury at the click of your fingers. Insulting someone's football club is a bit like insulting their family or their dump of a hometown; they can do it all they want... but if you do it, you're going to end up with a metaphorical (or literal) fat lip.
I've seen a very nasty side to Liverpool fans this summer. One that is completely at odds with the good-natured, well-wishing side we saw to them at the cup final. But Liverpool didn't see us as a threat then. Before the cup final, we were a club that was trophy-less in 56 years, and easy to be patronised. That isn't the case anymore. Now, we're taking trophies off them, battling with them for signings, and of course, denying them access to our own star players. The Alexander Isak saga had a very different ending to the Andy Carroll and Gini Wijnaldum ones. And Liverpool fans don't like it.
The funny thing is, Liverpool fans have been calling us the entitled ones, despite photoshopping Isak in Liverpool shirts and invading our club's social media posts with incessant Isak transfer baiting.
They clearly have very short memories. They lost Trent Alexander-Arnold to a bigger club just a month ago. In the past, they have lost the likes of Fernando Torres, Luis Suárez and Coutinho when the bigger fish comes calling. They even nearly lost Steven Gerrard. Their reaction to Isak staying has come across as incredibly bitter, and only soured the once good relationship between these two great fanbases.
And Newcastle fans aren't absolved of blame. We've taken the bait, allowed ourselves to get defensive with these Isak rumours, and turned the insults from football teams to matters much more personal. YouTuber 'Anfield Agenda' claims to have had many personal attacks about his appearance simply for making content on the 'Isak to Liverpool' rumours. I've been stirring the pot on here myself about this transfer saga, but come on everyone, lets leave it at the football, and not allow things to get personal.
I'm heading into the rest of the window with optimism...
Sure, the Ekitike deal hurts slightly right now. But there are still six weeks of the transfer window left. Anything could happen in that time. Benjamin Sesko is still available, and the number of clubs that can afford him that actually need a striker is dwindling every day. We've been linked with some exciting prospects at centre back, and I'm personally loving the Anthony Elanga deal more and more with each passing day.
But in regards to Isak and Ekitike; only time will tell who came out of this battle in the better position. Hugo Ekitike could emulate or even surpass Isak's goal exploits; but he could also be a very costly mistake. Isak could stay with Newcastle for several more seasons scoring goals, or the contract talks could end messily and the club arranges a hasty sale just to get some cash... we don't know.
But ultimately, I believe in Eddie Howe and his team. There has always been question marks about Ekitike's temperament, ego and his finishing, to be fair. And there's a reason Liverpool's interest in Alexander Isak bordered on obsessive... he's one of the best strikers in the world.
And right now, he plays for our very own Newcastle United.
