Anthony Gordon admits he “hopes everyone gets what they want” during the transfer saga involving Newcastle United, Liverpool and Alexander Isak.
Gordon is well-placed to comment. Indeed, Newcastle almost sold Gordon to Liverpool last summer as they battled to keep their head above water with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules.
In the end, Newcastle sold Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh and didn’t need to cash in on any of their truly elite stars. Gordon stayed at the club, though has now admitted the speculation did impact his form last season.
That’s understandable. Gordon is a Liverpool fan having grown up in the city, after all.
Liverpool have made a bid for Isak, and while it has been rejected, the striker is seemingly doing all he can to leave Newcastle.
Now, Gordon has spoken.
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty ImagesAnthony Gordon feels sorry for Alexander Isak amid transfer saga
Speaking in a brutally honest interview with The Daily Mail, Gordon admitted he feels sorry for Isak.
“With PSR, I thought I was going to leave at some point in the window,” he said.
“It didn’t happen. I had to get my head around that to begin with, and then to get my head around it again was hard.
“I’m a human being. It’s really difficult. That is why I understand what Alex is going through. I feel for him. He will be going through a lot. The club is going through a lot. I hope everyone gets what they want in the end.”
A teammate expressing sympathy for a player experiencing something they went through last summer is hardly much of a surprise, and is a nice touch on a human level.
Still, it’s hard to imagine many Newcastle fans feeling sorry for Isak. Wanting to leave is one thing and, frankly, perhaps understandable given the worrying noises coming out about PIF’s project at Newcastle.
Still, there is a way of going about things and the Isak situation has turned into an ugly saga played out in public.
When Alexander Isak could play for Newcastle United again
The fact Isak wants to leave isn’t the issue here. Of course, all the noise about his future cannot be easy for him to deal with, but the manner in which this has all played out is down to him and his representatives.
The worst thing about it is that Isak could play for Newcastle again in the Sela Cup, which begins next weekend.
Newcastle will not sell Isak unless they find a replacement, and the player still has three years left on his contract.
It’s not about wanting to leave. Gordon wanted to leave and while he wasn’t brilliant last season, he at least showed up.
Isak cannot be blamed for wanting to leave Newcastle. Neither could Gordon.
The fact is, however, that Isak’s every desire on exactly when he’s sold and who to cannot blindly be catered to.