Captain’s outcry: "We miss Isak, he is the best"

Just a few more days and it will be over. It can’t drag on like a hungry year. No one is giving in. Neither Newcastle nor Alexander Isak. Everyone is losing.

At St. James’ Park they have no intention of letting him go until they find a proper replacement – and until Liverpool make their move. While the tug-of-war continues, Alexander Isak is not training with his teammates.

Isak gets advice on how to force a move to Liverpool ahead of Reds' clash against Newcastle

He only has individual sessions and is not in contention for the squad. He missed the match against Liverpool, and outside the stadium T-shirts with the slogan “Isak is a rat” were being sold. The chances of reconciliation are fading.

It’s hard to see relations being smoothed over, even though that’s what everyone inside the squad is hoping for. The plea of captain Bruno Guimaraes, who scored against Liverpool, was heard loud and clear. The only question is whether it will reach Alexander Isak.

“We haven’t had any contact with him. We trained in the morning, and he trains at a different time when no one from the team is around,” Bruno Guimaraes told the Brazilian media, adding: “For me as captain, and for the players in general, this is a difficult situation, because we want the best alongside us. But this is something we cannot control and something we cannot influence.”

Still, the Brazilian has not lost hope. He believes all misunderstandings and side issues will eventually be overcome. He doesn’t get into who started what or who wants what, focusing only on his own wish – and the biggest one is for the Swedish striker to start scoring goals again in the black-and-white shirt.

“We really miss him. He scored more than 20 goals in the Premier League last season, so his absence is being felt. We hope he’ll come back, that our best player will be with us, but neither I nor any of the players can influence this. The club and the owners can. We just hope it all gets resolved in the best way.”

A bit earlier, Eddie Howe also commented on the saga surrounding Alexander Isak…

“We need to put an end to the intense speculation, the situation is far from ideal. If he is here, we want him to be involved with the group. That’s the most important thing. He is an outstanding player. We’d love him to tell us how he wants to play,” said the Newcastle manager.