My first article in two years before the Mag was rather timed, there I looked at what Newcastle United had to do to manage a good team and perform in the Champions League, only for Alexander Isak at the same time to be said to be exploring ‘Options’ elsewhere’ elsewhere!
Hopefully no comparable bomb can accompany this newest piece.
Since the £ 250 million economy of buying and using Isak has been explained by others over the next five years (I had initially written about this to be no less allocated by athletics!), I will just get into the implications.
I describe 14 football clubs as “Euro Super League” – the PL 6, the Spanish (Madrid 1/2, Barca) and Italian (Milan 1/2, Juve) Triumvirates and Twin Farmers Bayern + PSG.
This distinction is based on money and how they used it in the past and maintained a hegemony about everyone else.
Ironically, these 14 (and Dortmund) were invited to form the European Super League that the twin farmers refused.
It is clear that no club outside of this can pay this quarter billion deal and in fact half cannot be in it:
Spurs/Atletico (not enough money), the Italian crowd (all 3 setting Mini -Financial crises), Barca (struggle to register new players every summer for 5 years and use new (fake?) Economic levers per year to do this) that leaves the next 8:
1) Man City – with Haaland and his recent 10 -year -old deal – no chance (plus the overhang of the 115 costs)
2) Man Utd – Not in Europe much less UCL and in decline (Park this for a fantasy/smile towards the end of the article)
3) Chelsea – Bought 2 strikers to go to the club with the many, but still an external option
4) Bought Arsenal-Gyokeres and cannot afford any other mega-deal this summer with more than £ 200 million. Plus when Isak said in March that some of the rumors that surround him were ‘laughable’, he was only associated with the Gunners and Liverpool and he did not use the term for the then crowned PL champion.
5) Liverpool – most likely destination in PL, but already bought Ekitike and struggled to fit it + Wirtz + Szoboszlai + others in the same line -up next to Salah, and have already spent £ 269 million this summer. Moreover, he would go there and not be a top dog and even give fines to Salah. There is a reason why they have placed nothing more than a reasonable offer in, try to use the media to let Isak want to want and to lower the price.
6) Real Madrid – Alonso would like to let him lead the line as he sets up his team, but he has a superstar where he would like to play from Mbappe as a striker (to fit him and Vinicius JR in the same line -up) but that is not possible. As long as he is there, there is no chance of/point that Isak is going there.
7 and 8) PSG and Bayern could both afford it (especially if Bayern Kane sold), but Isak does not want to play in Bundesliga/Ligue 1 on a weekly basis, so don’t go there.
If Alexander Isak had made this decision last season or even before Liverpool made the Ekitike move, or Arsenal de Gyokeres moved (or Chelsea their #27469 movements), there was a chance that a deal took place. Or if he had waited for a season, held a new deal with Newcastle, perhaps places a contract buyout clause clause and the following summer leaves when Super League clubs could prepare and make room -both in their budgets and squadrons, he could have made a smooth transition.
Most likely his agent was overwhelmed by the PR Media Splash of Liverpool and Alexander Isak immediately wore greener meadows, without waiting for the new contract offer from Newcastle.
But for someone who shows such an intellect and presence of spirit on the field, Isak did not do the above analysis for himself, realizing that he was usually from options that he now wanted to explore, but they could open the next summer when he could leave and maintain a good relationship with everyone at NUFC. He would also get a season in the iconic no. 9 Jersey, try for the club’s seasonal screen records, continue in the Champions League and then say goodbye.
What all the clubs that constantly try to remember Newcastle does not realize that Eddie Howe has built a team that built a relatively small budget at the top of the table at the top of the table. Imagine what he could manage if he had £ 360 million extra in his transfer Kitty approved by PSR? How did we come to this amount?
Isak arrived at NUFC for £ 59 million + £ 4 million in add-ons (incl app/goals/goals/UCL qualification/title victories etc.) for a 6-year deal. For the sake of calculations, I assume that this is £ 60 million. All deals that are completed before the PSR rule change are required for a 5 -year limit for PSR according to the actual period. The annual depreciation of Isak was therefore £ 60 million/6 years = £ 10 million. This summer, after 3 years in the club, his remaining PSR value was ~ £ 30 million. So conservatively a sale of £ 150 million (he is realistic more than £ 200 million worth when you consider that the contract clause of Haaland £ 250 million is activated after 4-5 years and Isak’s a more complete all-round striker) gives a £ 120 million PSR profit (£ 150 million residual purchase price). This £ 120 million has been on the profit side of the comparison under the current PSR rules for 3 years (rules can change next summer), making US £ 360 million net potential acquisitions possible in the following 6 transfer windows (although the additional expenditure for income in the coming years should be rejected as soon as the club’s profit should be £ 120 million should be increased) Even a conservative look at the future, the club could still spend £ 200-250 million only because of an ISAK sale, in addition to the already available budget of £ 130-150 million (in the field of player trade + in wages).
What could what do with a budget of £ 300 million? Perhaps £ 105 million would immediately go on another striker + Wissa (their combined wages would also balance the outgoing Wilson + Isak’s 90k + 140k = 230k/World Cup). While £ 50 million should immediately go to Scalvini (Ed: this article was written and received before Malick Thiaw announced). Both Botman and Schar struggle with potential injury after only entering Singapore in the 2nd half, the alarm bells made loud and clear. Another £ 50 million should go on the backup of Longstaff + Hall (Alex Murphy may still need time and he does not take a team room; £ 5 million to cover the sale of Targett). When you see this immediate need for an expenditure of £ 200 million + (plus agent costs + potential total wage increases + £ 55 million already issued to Elanga), you realize why the club has spent time trying to get the right prizes for players (who call many fans ‘penny pinching’, concerned about the missed players). It also makes you realize that, although losing Alexander Isak would harm badly (even now, I don’t want to see a future without him), just like him in a Liverpool shirt, the right amount of money that comes in for his sale, the club should help to become stronger.
The £ 100 million PSR expenditure remained would be needed at a certain moment in 2026 for replacing Lascelles and Trippier if their contracts end or they leave with 6 months. Because both are part of 9/25, we must bring in the British replacement (possibly higher costs) for at least 1, if not both (if Targett also leaves as likely, that really puts us on the edge, Willock would leave us on 8/25) that are probably more expensive than foreign recruits (and the preference).
Part of that money would also go in new contracts for Tonali/Botman (if he stays fit) etc. So even after the sale of Alexander Isak we would use every cent that we would have (apart from a run deep in the knockouts of UCL that brings in a lot of extra money). That should inform the part of fans who asks the club to pay what should be demanded to get our goals over the line, why one should get every transfer if you are not in the ‘Super League’ set clubs and are hunted for the least minor violation on rules.
Finally, what would an Alexander Isak -Transfer potential do about the finances of Liverpool, who have already spent £ 269 million on outgoing transfers and their wage account (already north of £ 400 million last year) has risen considerably with the new deals for Salah and Van Dijk. A publication of £ 160-170 million on ISAK transfer + £ 90 million on his 5-year contract would push both figures to the point where slightly under a competition and UCL Double PSR print would put on them (not that they would be charged by the PL).
Equally important for us, they would almost certainly move to buy a new CB to next season, at least, so that we, as the number 1 option of Guehi, will probably accept the palace much lower than the assumed £ 40 million that they wish for a defender with 11 months left on his contract. Not that I prefer him to Diomande/Antonio Silva/Zabarnyi/many others, but if how does it want him …
It is quite a situation that the liverpool media circus is to change Isak, now that Dec’24 has been going on for eight months (with regularly increasing intensity), but they have to contribute something except for a £ 110 million bid for him. In fact, no club has made a viable offer, even after he has known the most all -round complete striker in the world, wants to leave.
You have to be careful with what you want. It can come true. Or not!
#Newcastle #United #PSR #Alexander #Isak #Exploring #Options #heavily #timed