Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has urged Alexander Isak to provide “clarity” on his future. The conclusion of today’s match at Villa Park saw fans expressing their dissatisfaction with the Swedish international, with Howe now asserting that it’s up to Isak to sort out his situation.
It remains unclear whether the head coach was implying that Isak should either get on with things or submit a transfer request, but the forward has been informed that the door is still open.
Despite Liverpool‘s continued interest in Isak, they are yet to make a second offer, and Newcastle find themselves in complete uncertainty over the star they purchased for £63m in 2022.
Following the 0-0 draw against Aston Villa, Howe told Chronicle Live: “Nothing has changed – but the door is well and truly open (for Isak). But he has to decide what he wants to do.
“We would like a resolution, when I say we I am referring to myself and the ownership, the players we have, we need that clarity. This season, any Premier League season is hard enough, you don’t need any type of distraction to swerve your thoughts and unbalance what we are doing.
“I am certainly not in control of that, there is only one person who is in control of that.”
Newcastle supporters fully supported the XI who secured a point against Unai Emery’s team, but they did not hold back at the end of the match.
Discussing the fans’ support, Howe stated: “I think it (the reaction to backing the team during the game and not chanting about Isak) is. We never doubted the supporters would be right behind us today.
“They always have been and have never left our side in any difficult moment so I was really, really proud of that connection between them and us at the end of the game.
“It is always a beautiful moment for us when we thank them for coming and they thanked us for the performance. Fingers crossed, it is now up to us to keep that relationship as strong as it has been.”
Despite creating 16 opportunities, Newcastle failed to convert any into goals, a situation where Isak’s presence might have made a difference.
Howe commented: “I don’t think it is the narrative we want to go down because it is easy to say. But you have no way of knowing if that is the case.
“Of course you are going to miss somebody who has scored goals like Alex has, not just his goals but the calibre of player he is. So we are not silly enough to think any different but you just have to look and talk about the players we have here today and what they have given today.
“It is very easy for the players to have a feeling of negativity going into the game or an excuse there ready but there was no sign of that in our performance.
“That is why I am so pleased with everybody. It is one game out of 38 in the Premier League season so we are not going to overreact to it either way but today was very good.”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk