Newcastle United’s ‘privileged’ financial position delivered killer blow to Liverpool transfer plans
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Alexander Isak remains a Newcastle United player after the club successfully repelled interest from Liverpool in the Swedish international.
A frenetic week of transfer news surrounding Newcastle United ultimately saw them end Friday night in the exact same position as they began Monday morning, minus Sean Longstaff whose move to Leeds United was confirmed on Friday evening. Interest in Hugo Ekitike emerged before Liverpool approached them over a move for Isak.
The Magpies maintained their not for sale stance on Isak and whilst they pondered another bid after seeing a £70m move for Ekitike rejected by Eintracht Frankfurt, Liverpool swooped for the Frenchman. Isak remains on Tyneside and whilst Newcastle have seen another one of their striker targets leave for a Premier League rival, they have seen the market for Isak shrink.
Although frustrations over incomings begin to grow on social media within the Magpies fanbase, keeping Isak is a key priority this summer and after a dramatic week, that’s exactly what they have been able to do.
Why Newcastle United could afford to reject Alexander Isak offer
According to football finance expert Stefan Borson, Newcastle United were able to repel interest from Anfield in Isak because of their ‘privileged’ financial position. Speaking to Football Insider, Borson revealed that most other Premier League clubs would have struggled to turn down the money Liverpool were reportedly prepared to pay for the Swedish international.
“Well, I think it would depend on who the club was (whether Newcastle would sell for £150million). Newcastle can say no, I mean, Newcastle are not in a normal situation. I think there are a few clubs in the world that can say no.
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“So, Newcastle are definitely one of those clubs that can say no to £150million. Clearly, if the player was at a club like Brighton or Brentford, it would be a different situation. But Newcastle can definitely say no to £150million, and also, they’ve got to look at what it would cost to replace the player.
“So, in the grand scheme of things, £150million is not actually that much money when you break it down. You’re talking about, probably last season, the best striker in the Premier League. And the Premier League being the pre-eminent league. Anyway, Newcastle can absolutely turn it down. They are in a privileged position.”
Whilst attentions now slowly turn towards match action again and a clash with Celtic later today, much focus will be placed on what the next few days and weeks will bring in the transfer market. Losing a number of main targets to Premier League rivals will sting and whilst Newcastle continue their policy of refusing to overpay for players, they will be met with frustration in the market.
PSR is not an issue this summer, but any move they make this window will have knock-on effects for what they are able to do in future transfer windows and they have to make sure they get every single transfer correct to avoid any major problems in the future.