Roy Keane rips into Alexander Isak over his ‘shocking’ Newcastle behaviour

Since Liverpool’s bid for Alexander Isak was rejected by Newcastle, the Swedish star has made it clear he wants to move to Anfield and his behaviour has now been slammed by two Premier League legends

Newcastle striker Alexander Isak has been slammed by Roy Keane and Ian Wright, with the latter branding the Swede’s conduct as “shocking.” Isak, 25, appears hell-bent on leaving Newcastle this summer after a £110million bid from Premier League champions Liverpool was rejected earlier this month.

The forward hasn’t submitted a formal transfer request but has allegedly made it clear he won’t turn out for Eddie Howe’s side again. On The Overlap’s Rest is Football podcast, former Manchester United captain Keane and ex-Arsenal striker Wright expressed their amazement at the transfer saga that’s turned ugly on Tyneside.

“It doesn’t look good,” Wright said. “The behaviour? It’s kind of shocking. It’s shocking behaviour. I don’t know what’s happened with his agent, I don’t know if his agent hasn’t done the job properly – I don’t know what it is and if Liverpool were going to get him, go and pay the £150m [asking price].”

READ MORE: Arne Slot makes Liverpool title claim as new deal sees transfer spend pass £300mREAD MORE: Alexander Isak snubbed in Jamie Carragher’s next five Liverpool transfer deals after £26m move

Former Newcastle director and minority co-owner Amanda Staveley had allegedly assured Isak that he and club chiefs would meet to thrash out fresh terms before her exit.

Yet she left before the two sides could reach the negotiating table. Paul Mitchell arrived as sporting director and is said to have reversed that pledge, leaving Isak far from pleased, as per Chronicle Live.

Wright, addressing the situation, said: “You have to say, and there’s a lot of talk about what was promised to him [Isak] maybe through [Amanda] Staveley, I don’t know what’s going on. Contract, more money, whatever it was, but then obviously she’s gone now and maybe it was a gentlemen’s agreement.”

Isak was noticeably absent from Newcastle’s pre-season preparations and didn’t join the squad’s tour of the Far East. The ongoing saga has overshadowed what should have been an exciting summer at St James’ Park, with Isak now training in isolation and distanced from his team-mates. He even missed out on a team barbecue.

Keane, utterly bewildered by Isak’s refusal to train, said: “If you’re a footballer I’m always a bit wary when people say, ‘You were promised something.’ They’re already on deals, and we talk about loyalty, but I just think as a footballer, you might be disappointed with the club and you might be leaving, I had it with [Nottingham] Forest (before he joined Manchester United) but you still want to train and play.

“You should think, ‘The benefits of me training and playing, If I go, [means] I’ll be ready’ instead of going, ‘I’m going to go and train with somebody else for a few weeks.’ This would be different if Newcastle finished near the bottom and there was disarray, but they’ve just had a brilliant season, they’re in the Champions League.

“Your job is to train and play, if you got into bed with an agent who can’t do their job then you can’t go to the club, ‘You should have done a better job.'”

Wright then suggested that Isak might have made a mistake in signing a six-year contract with Newcastle in 2022, without including a release clause. However, he conceded that it might now be in the Magpies’ best interest to let him go.

He said: “From Newcastle’s point of view they’ve got every right to do what they’re doing – they should sell him, but sell him for the money you want for him.”

Liverpool have yet to come back with a revised offer after their initial bid was turned down at the beginning of August. As Isak’s future remains uncertain, Newcastle are moving forward with plans for their game against Aston Villa on Saturday, looking towards the new season, whether their star player stays or not.

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

£43

£35

Sky

Get the deal here

Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.

Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.