Isak saga sets tone for ‘absolutely huge’ match

Arne Slot merely desired certainty.

“Yes, it is,” says St. James’ Park. the manager of Liverpool asked during the game between Newcastle United and Liverpool.

On Monday night, Slot will have no doubts about where he is. That will be ensured by Geordies.

Newcastle’s first home game of the campaign is this. It is a bank holiday. Additionally, town is welcoming the champions.

However, the suitors of the wantawful striker’s suitors have risen to the occasion thanks to the Alexander Isak saga.

Eddie Howe was in no need of a reminder.

Howe based his opinion on personal experience. When their focus is on the task, his team have demonstrated what they can accomplish in front of a roaring St James.

Since Howe took over a team in deep relegation trouble in 2021, Newcastle have only lost a dozen top-flight games on home soil. During this time, the stadium is typically at its most ecstatic when a traditional big hitter visits.

In eight league and cup home games last year, Newcastle won six, drawn one, lost one, and lost one against Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Spurs.

The fan organization Wor Flags hopes to do the same on Monday and has contributed to the setting.

After Isak made his decision to join Liverpool, it hasn’t been simple to put together a pre-game display.

Thomas Concannon, a Wor Flags volunteer and owner of a Newcastle season ticket, said: “We totally understand the situation.

Because there are so many different viewpoints on this entire situation at the moment, it’s very difficult for us as a group to come up with a unified one. “That’s why it’s been really difficult to get right.

“We believe we have the right tone,” the statement read. We’ll be going big, as we always do, but with the goal of supporting the pitch’s young players because that’s what matters the most.

What a moment for Hugo Ekitike to make his first trip to St James’ after Liverpool won the signing of the Frenchman last month ahead of Newcastle.

Ekitike is a player Howe knows well, and he can quickly produce a concise scouting report: very fast moving, intelligent, and good in the air. He also scores goals from both feet. That was the bottom line. Newcastle wanted him because of this.

“Howe said, “There’s no denying that I really like Hugo and have for a while.” We kept track of him for a while.

That is understated.

In fact, over the course of three and a half years, Newcastle attempted to sign Ekitike three times.

When Ekitike wasn’t exactly a household name, Newcastle made their first move in January 2022.

However, the 23-year-old had untapped potential.

Few people are as familiar with that as former Brighton manager Oscar Garcia, who at the time worked for Ekitike at Reims.

Garcia recently told Sky Sports, “You do not find many strikers like him at that age.” He has a strong goalkeeping ability, is quick, mobile, and can score goals one against one. Because he has the ability to play both on- and off-the-field, he can fit into both teams with greater possession and with those with greater counter-attack skills.

Hugo “knows which areas he can improve,” but he also needs assistance to increase his potential in order to reach the heights that all those who know him can at.

However, Newcastle did not fail to recognize those traits among Premier League clubs.

Ekitike, who had endured a frustrating spell at Paris St-Germain, returned to Liverpool after spending some time admiring him.

Newcastle may have made Eintracht’s initial offer last month, but Ekiti, who had previously spoken to Slot, wanted to relocate to Liverpool for a sum of $69 million.

There is no denying that this action had an impact on the Isak saga.

If Newcastle had chosen Ekitike, the club would already have a potential replacement in place and had plenty of time to add an additional striker to replace Callum Wilson’s departure from last month.

Newcastle are in a race against the clock to find even one centre-forward before the end of September, let alone two, after Benjamin Sesko, who later joined Manchester United, was overlooked.

No wonder the club cannot anticipate the “conditions” of Isak’s sale being met in the closing stages of the sale.

Before going into the possibility of Liverpool making an improved bid for Isak, which ultimately gives Newcastle a choice given that the Magpies have been steadfast throughout,

It is understandable that no slot would be drawn on the possibility of Isak being replaced by Liverpool.

Regardless of the setting, the Liverpool manager understands what is in store for the match at St James’.

The size of the visitors’ task on Tyneside is highlighted by Newcastle’s victory over Liverpool in the last season’s Carabao Cup final.

According to Slot, “It has nothing to do with anything that is in the media.” You can expect anything if you travel to Newcastle.

“We played them three times last year, and each time, we saw an increase in their intensity. They were very intense especially the first 60 minutes of the away game (3-3 draw in December). They fully deserved the lead, and they outlasted us more in the League Cup final.