Expert: Newcastle’s relationship with Liverpool in tatters after ‘public move’

The world of football transfers is often a messy business, a complex dance of negotiations, posturing, and strategic leaks played out in the public eye.

Rarely does a major deal conclude with everyone feeling completely satisfied, and the recent record-breaking move of Alexander Isak from Newcastle United to Liverpool is a perfect example of this.

While the transaction itself is complete, the fallout has left a significant mark, reportedly damaging the professional relationship between the two proud Premier League clubs.

According to well-placed sources within the game, including former Manchester United and Sunderland chief scout Mick Brown, the atmosphere between the Tyneside and Merseyside boards is frosty at best.

The core of the issue lies not in the final outcome—a £130 million transfer—but in the manner in which it was achieved.

Newcastle officials are said to be deeply unhappy with how the entire saga unfolded, feeling that the process lacked the respect and discretion typically expected in such high-level dealings.

The discontent stems from a belief that Liverpool’s interest was deliberately made public much earlier in the summer, a tactical move designed to unsettle a key player and apply pressure on the selling club.

This strategy, while not uncommon in modern football, is often viewed as a breach of unwritten etiquette between clubs that expect to do business with each other.

The public nature of the interest is believed to have been the catalyst for Isak’s subsequent actions, which saw the striker refuse to train or play for Eddie Howe’s side in order to force the move through.

For Newcastle, who had just celebrated their first major trophy in seventy years with Isak as a central figure, his method of departure has left a bitter taste, casting a shadow over his contributions.

There is, of course, a recognized irony in Newcastle’s position. The club itself has recently been the beneficiary of similar tactics, successfully securing the signing of Yoane Wissa from Brentford after the player himself had gone on strike to facilitate his own transfer.

This reality underscores the complex and often hypocritical nature of the transfer market, where clubs can be both victims and perpetrators of the same aggressive strategies.

As Brown noted, clubs can’t always pretend to be “holier than thou” when they themselves have made decisions that force players out.

Despite the financial justification of the deal—Newcastle received a massive fee for a player who wanted to leave, and Liverpool secured their primary target—the process has sown seeds of distrust.

The relationship between the two clubs is now described as being in “tatters,” with Newcastle likely to be far more reluctant to engage in future negotiations with Liverpool.

This breakdown could have repercussions down the line, potentially complicating any potential deals for other players.

In a related subplot, Liverpool’s late-window activities also involved a failed attempt to sign Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi.

That deal collapsed at the eleventh hour, but reports indicate that Liverpool plan to reignite their pursuit when the January transfer window opens. With Guehi’s contract situation becoming more pressing, he could be available for a reduced fee, making him an attractive renewed target.

However, this situation has also generated its own friction, with Guehi himself said to be “angry and disappointed” with his current club for how the late offer was handled, feeling he was unfairly “stitched up” by the timing.

For now, all parties involved in the Isak transfer are publicly moving on. Newcastle is investing the funds into their squad, Liverpool is integrating their new star, and the player has his coveted move.

But the behind-the-scenes fallout serves as a stark reminder that in the high-stakes game of football transfers, the final fee often doesn’t tell the whole story.

The damage to relationships and the bitter feelings left behind can linger long after the deal is officially announced, altering the landscape of how clubs interact with one another in the future.