Alexander Isak’s Attitude Shifted Upon Learning Liverpool Secured Hugo Ekitike First

The Swedish striker was one of the main stories of the summer transfer window, completing his record-breaking move to Liverpool on deadline day after making it clear for weeks that he would never play for Newcastle again.

At one stage, it looked as though Newcastle were prepared to sanction Isak’s departure if they could first wrap up a deal for French forward Hugo Ekitike. Instead, Liverpool swooped in to sign the then-Eintracht Frankfurt man themselves, and new details have now emerged about how Isak reacted to that twist.

According to The Athletic, Newcastle viewed Liverpool’s simultaneous pursuit of both Ekitike and Isak as a strategic power play, aimed at making sure they secured one of the two strikers. Liverpool, however, insisted they had been in talks with Ekitike since January and had renewed contact at the end of the 2024/25 season, well before Newcastle’s approach.

For Isak, the news of Ekitike’s Anfield move reportedly marked a turning point. Those close to him say his mood shifted noticeably. While he had already travelled with Newcastle for their training camp in Austria, Ekitike’s signing coincided with Isak picking up a questionable “minor injury” that kept him out of the club’s pre-season tour of Asia. In hindsight, this may have been the first public sign of the transfer saga that followed.

As Isak dug his heels in, even issuing a public statement about broken promises after skipping the PFA awards, Newcastle remained firm that they would not be pressured into selling a key player. Behind the scenes, though, manager Eddie Howe—despite publicly insisting he wanted Isak back in the squad—began to realise that keeping him was no longer realistic. He admitted in a press conference that the standoff had become a “lose-lose situation” for the club, who eventually gave in and moved to replace him with Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade.