Woltemade not brought in as a like-for-like replacement, says Toon boss
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has said his relationship with Alexander Isak soured once the striker refused to train with the club this summer.
Isak absented himself from Newcastle’s pre-season tour of Asia and refused to play for the club again as he agitated for a move to Liverpool. After weeks of a stand-off between him and the club he was eventually sold to Liverpool for £125m on deadline day.
The deal, which set a new British transfer record, ended a three-year spell on Tyneside that saw the Sweden international score 62 goals in 109 appearances. It was under Howe’s auspices that Isak had developed into one of the most highly rated strikers in the English game after joining Newcastle from Real Sociedad for £63m.
“Alex and I always enjoyed a great relationship,” said Howe. “I loved working with him and I hope he loved working with us.
“It was mutually beneficial. We helped him become the player that he in part is today, and he helped us as a team achieve some unbelievable milestones. He was part of a very successful team.
“But to give you a bit more on that, the moment he went on strike, our relationship did change. I think that was probably a turning point in our relationship. Communication became difficult from that point onwards. I won’t go into any more detail than that.”
The Sweden international was replaced by Nick Woltemade, who arrived from Stuttgart for £69m and could make his debut for the Toon army against Wolves this weekend. Howe insists they are two different players and it was “impossible” to bring in a player with Isak’s exact qualities.
“There’s no other player like Alex, he was totally unique,” said Howe. “He had his qualities and I think it’s important we don’t compare whoever we bring in to Alex, because I think that’s very difficult to do.”
