Alexander Isak may not be on the pitch at St. James‘ Park on Monday but he will be top of mind when Newcastle United take on Liverpool, and in more ways than one.
The Sweden international is currently in a standoff with Newcastle, the pair taking home the award for the most dramatic transfer saga of the window with a week to go until it closes. Isak has hit all the lowlights of a transfer saga – training on his own, reportedly listing his home in England’s northeast for rent as he tries to force a move and most recently waging a war of words with a statement on his Instagram Stories about broken promises that prompted a response out of Newcastle. Isak has been linked to Liverpool, who at one point wanted to add him to their new-look attack, but it is unclear whether a deal will materialize or if a detente is in sight.
It adds a layer of intrigue to an already fascinating match that will cap off the second weekend of action in the Premier League, one that forces the question: How would these teams look with Isak?
How to watch Newcastle United vs. Liverpool, odds
- Date: Monday, Aug. 25 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: St James’ Park — Newcastle, England
- TV: USA Network | Stream: Fubo (Start watching, save $20!)
- Odds: Newcastle United +220; Draw +280; Liverpool +100
From Newcastle’s perspective, that is an obviously easy question to answer. Isak became the subject of a multimillion dollar transfer saga because of his proven track record with the Magpies, scoring 62 goals in 109 games for the team, and he was sorely missed in their opening weekend draw against Aston Villa. Newcastle had the benefit of playing up a player for the better part of a half hour but put just three of their 16 shots on target, Anthony Gordon doing what he could as the frontman of the attack that day. Gordon took seven shots of his own and mustered 0.55 expected goals along the way but it was hard not to notice that the England international is a natural winger, not exactly the best fit to succeed Isak.
The Magpies may be working on a replacement for Isak but no successor has become apparent just yet, even if there is new chatter every few days around a different player. Eddie Howe may be resigned to roll with a lineup that was similar to the one that started against Villa, which included Harvey Barnes and new signing Anthony Elanga on the wings, at least for now.
As for Liverpool, the Isak question is almost one of excess. The Reds’ preseason results and their 4-2 win against Bournemouth last Friday demonstrated that their attack will probably function just fine without Isak – new players Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike are settling in extremely well, while Mohamed Salah is likely to play an important role for at least another season. Adding Isak to the roster obviously would not hurt, though, and might not be such a bad idea if Arne Slot’s side cannot find a way to strike a balance in the squad by the time the transfer window closes on September 1.
For all of Liverpool’s scoring exploits, it is clear their defense can be exploited, conceding twice in both the Community Shield and the game against Bournemouth. Their back four in both games – Jeremie Frimpong, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, Milos Kerkez – seem fairly vulnerable, and reinforcements are not in yet. The Reds did sign 18-year-old Giovanni Leoni from Parma but it seems unlikely that he would slot into the team quickly, while they are linked to Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi but a deal has yet to be completed. They may like their chances against an imperfect Newcastle attack but Liverpool kept just one clean sheet in preseason, and that was against Championship side Stoke City.
