Newcastle stars Sven Botman and Anthony Gordon have shown no ill-feelings towards Alexander Isak after he completed a British record transfer to Liverpool.
The Sweden international’s attritional stand-off with his former club was one of the standout sagas of the summer transfer window, with Isak breaking his silence in August amid speculation over his future with a bombshell message to his followers on Instagram.
The striker appeared to accuse Newcastle of breaking promises to him over a potential move to Merseyside, forcing a response from the Magpies rubbishing his claim.
Isak then refused to play for manager Eddie Howe for the first three matches of the Premier League season in a bid to show his desire for a move away – despite any potential transfer depending on Newcastle recruiting replacement attackers.
Following the signing of Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade at the end of last week, Isak was finally announced as Liverpool’s final signing for a British record fee of £125million.
Newcastle issued a curt statement announcing his departure, which some fans described as ‘salty’, while others online dubbed Isak a ‘rat’ for the way his move had been conducted.
Anthony Gordon was among those to say goodbye publicly to Liverpool star Alexander Isak
Sven Botman is another Newcastle team-mate to have opted to support his former colleague
But former team-mates Botman and Gordon chose to share more emotional messages in the wake of his exit, with the latter openly acknowledging the difficulty of the events themselves.
‘Regardless of the situation & what’s gone on, it’s been a pleasure to play with you,’ Gordon wrote over a picture of the pair playing together.
‘One of the best chemistries I’ve had on the pitch and more importantly a great person and teammate.
‘I wish you nothing but the best brother (red heart emoji).’
Botman added in his post: ‘What started off as teammates growed (sp) in one of my rare best friendships.
‘No more words needed brother, all the best in your next chapter (red heart emoji).’
Isak – who is on duty for Sweden’s World Cup qualifiers – has not spoken out beyond the comments he made after signing for Liverpool on Monday, but his agent Vlado Lemic fired a parting shot at Newcastle with a statement made to talkSPORT on Tuesday morning.
The 25-year-old has signed for a British record £125million – and waited until the last minute
The player is now training with his national team set-up ahead of World Cup qualifying games
‘It’s nice when you have someone to be with, but it’s even nicer when you know who you’ll never be with again,’ Lemic said in the cryptic missive shared with the broadcaster.
For his part, Isak is likely to be keen to return to match action and focus his attention on the pitch.
His international manager Jon Dahl Tomasson said on Monday that despite the swirl of news stories around his player, he was confident that Isak is in a good place for a strong showing for his country.
‘Alex is extremely professional, and he has a great mentality. He is very stable, and in control,’ Tomasson said in his first press conference of the camp.
‘We are not afraid of that (the transfer impacting his performance). Definitely not.’
