Eddie Howe has admitted Newcastle are in a “lose-lose situation” with want-away striker Alexander Isak.
The 25-year-old Sweden international will play no part in Monday night’s Premier League clash with Liverpool – the club which had a £110million bid for him rejected earlier this month – as he continues his exile in an attempt to force his way out of St James’ Park.
One way or another, the matter will be resolved by the time the transfer window closes on September 1 and Howe knows the Magpies will be weaker – in the short-term at least – whether or not they lose or keep their disaffected star man.
The 47-year-old, who confirmed he and the striker had discussed his future at the end of last season, said: “I think it is a lose-lose situation to a degree for us because I don’t think we can come out of this winning in any situation.
“That is why I have said all summer, it is a difficult situation for the club to manage.
“We love Alex in the sense of what has done for this football club since he has been here, what he has contributed, what he has given, how professional he’s been and this has just been an unfortunate few months that looks like it is coming to an end.
“And it will come to an end pretty quickly and then we can focus on the football again.”
Isak upped the ante in his efforts to engineer a move this week when he released a statement citing “broken promises” over his future, a claim which was swiftly rebuffed by the Magpies, who value him at £150m.
Howe, who signed the Swede from Real Sociedad for £63m in 2022, admitted he had not spoken to the player this week, but insisted Isak could eventually be reintegrated into his team.
Asked if Isak would be totally committed to the club should he remain, the head coach said: “It goes without saying if you’re going to select a team to play, those players have to be committed in giving their best performance.
“I have always believed in those values in order to produce a team that can win matches. That’s what I’m paid to do. All the other stuff around it, things can change.
“I have had this so many times in my career. A player might not be in a great place one day and a few days later, they are there and ready to play. That is the beauty of human beings, we can all change our emotions and feelings quite quickly.”
Should that happen, Howe is confident Isak would be accepted back into the fold despite his summer stand-off.
He said: “This has been a really difficult situation for him and for the players to see us without him.
“The players have handled it really well. If Alex decided to come back and play for us, the players would welcome him back.”
While bracing themselves for a follow-up bid from Liverpool, Newcastle – who have insisted all summer that Isak is not for sale – have been scouring the market not only for a potential replacement for him, but one for Callum Wilson with Brentford’s Yoane Wissa and Wolves’ Jorgen Strand Larsen currently in their sights.
