Cronky

That's okay, but the club has its viewpoint as well. We can't afford to hang around if the player is dawdling in the hope of getting what he considers to be a better move. There's a rumour that the player has been given 24 hours to come up with a decision ie he needs to make his mind up today. I think that's sensible.

My initial reaction when I saw Eddie's words was to be a bit worried and to nurture the hope of something more conciliatory. On further reflection, I think he's got it right yet again. Isak can't expect to turn up as if nothing has happened. Some process of bridge-building has to take place to prevent a bad atmosphere developing. The rules and principles have to be the same for everyone. That's not just from a moral standpoint - it's with a view to future possible success as well. The whole thing has become so mucky. I'm not even sure that's it in Liverpool's interests for the transfer to happen now in these sorts of circumstances.

Like many interviewers, he really needed to shut up and listen a bit more, but overall I think he was just showing the supporters' perspective. Our attachment to the club is of a different nature to the players', and we feel a sense of rejection. If Isak's team-mates were to be approached by Liverpool with a promise to double their salary, they'd have itchy feet too. They can take the Isak situation more philosophically.

If we've put in a firm bid, and Man U are definitely interested, I'm not sure why they are hesitating to bid as well. It's being said that they don't have to sell to buy, but they are acting as if that is indeed their situation. Romano seems to be saying that they are waiting for Sesko to indicate that he'd be interested in the move, but that doesn't make sense either. If, at this advanced stage, the player hasn't indicated that he'd be interested in joining them, then when would he make his views known? There's a rumour now that they're seeking to offload Hojlund, and it looks like that's what they need to do before putting in a bid. I have doubts as to whether Sesko is worth the huge fee, but right now I'd like the move to happen, if only because it takes the heat out of the Isak situation. I suspect the odds are that we'll miss out again. There is a potential but highly unlikely scenario whereby we buy Hojlund for roughly £35m and enable Man U to get Sesko. Personally, I'd be okay with that, because I think Hojlund is a talented young player who just needs the right environment. Please disagree politely - it's only an opinion.

It's interesting to see the difference in the player's perspective and the supporter's. I've been addicted to watching the Wembley post-match celebrations, and I can't do that at the moment because Isak has rather pooped on that. However, from the players' own self-interest, they'll be hoping that Isak returns and they will be prepared to welcome him back. In that scenario, Eddie will probably encourage the support to follow suit, and as the sun shines out of his arse as far as we're concerned, we'll follow his lead. I don't think the club has told Liverpool that they can have him for £150m. That would only encourage Isak and his agent to continue their stance. I think the owners have told Liverpool not to bother with another bid this summer. If they've managed to convey to Isak that no really does mean no, then really he has no choice but to knuckle down. Obviously that's not without risk, but I think our owners are in it for the long haul and they're prepared for any consequences. If it means we have a crap season before bouncing back again, then so be it. The media coverage and the reactions of other supporters have been hard to take. They really seem to want this move to happen. Let's face it, if you're a supporter of one of the Big Six clubs, you want us to fail in order to preserve your team's status. If you support another club, you're going to be jealous if we're the ones who make the breakthrough. If Villa or Forest were to be the ones to do it, I'd be a bit pissed off, I'm sure. We're fighting this battle alone.

I think Eddie will make it clear that won't be helpful.

I think the simplest explanation is probably the most likely. The bid was turned down and they were told not to bother coming back with a second one. I think it's highly unlikely that this decision is Liverpool's. It's not usual to give up after just one bid.

My guess is that the owners have told him that he won't be moving this summer and they mean it. If he effectively goes on strike they'll stop his wages and face whatever legal action might transpire. Whatever the hit might be, they're prepared to take it. That's a tough road to go down, but there are also consequences to giving in to this form of behaviour. All power to them.

Utter bullshit. Isak is the only example since the takeover of a player agitating to leave. Our problem is the opposite. Under Eddie Howe, every player ends up playing the best football of their lives. It's getting rid of them that then becomes difficult.

Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but amongst the chaos, the rumour I'm most inclined to believe is that the owners have told him he's staying this season no matter what. Presumably they'll be expecting him to rejoin the squad when they return from the Far East. Time will tell whether that's the right move. Most clubs will bite the bullet and accept the reality of player power. The Saudis are new to this game and won't like being pushed around. My worry is that Isak won't be giving it 100% because he won't want a serious injury to ruin his chance of a big money move at the end of the season. Having said that, it's arguable that holding back actually increases the risk of injury. If it all falls out this way, a big onus will be on the capacity of Eddie and the squad to re-motivate the player. It's a gamble that deserves to succeed, so if only for that reason, I'm in favour.

We've done well by managing to avoid these flavour-of-the-month overpriced players whose value is influenced too much by their previous season. Let's look at talented players whose careers have stalled and see if we can pick up a bargain eg Jackson, Nkunku, DCL, Hojland. Yes, Hojland. Any striker would have stuggled with all the instability at Man U.

This is only based on Youtube scouting, but I'll stick my neck out and say there's no way this player is worth the likes of £70m. He looks like another Nunez to me.

Just as ironically, if I were to go just on highlights reels, I'd much prefer Jackson to Sesko or Aghehowa. Jackson has some good all-round ability - it's just that sometimes he looks very naive, like he's only recently started playing the game. If we can get his composure and decision-making sorted out, we'd have a good player on our hands. Eddie's more than a half-decent coach, so I'd trust him with this one.

Craig Hope on Isak I don't know if this link has been posted yet, but I did find it interesting. Watch from 2-45. I don't think the grievance that Isak supposedly has against the club is valid though.

I think we're still in pole position with Ekitike and I suspect our valuation isn't too far away from Frankfurt's. I think this will go through and he'll make a good combination with Isak. There's media talk about LIverpool having a 'serious interest' in Ekitike, but they don't seem to have made a bid, and given that our talks are fairly advanced, you'd have thought they'd have got a move on by now. I also read somewhere that Ekitike has been impressed by the fact that our interest is of long-standing, and if I were in his position, that would be an important factor for me. The media are trying to create a drama out of this. The narrative has always been that we are the club that tries hard but fails in the end. They're trying to re-create that story with this situation. As for Isak, they're assuming that we'll be powerless to stop him going, in the same way as happened with Gazza, Beardsley and Waddle. However, we've got a trophy behind us, we're in the Champions League, and we can now offer some hope to an ambitious player.

Liverpool is the most gossipy city on Earth, so I'm taking all this conspiracy stuff with a few tons of salt. The crunch time will come at the end of this season, when Isak has two years left on his contract. Depending on how the team does, he'll either sign a new one or go. I also think his true value is way north of the £120m that Liverpool are supposedly offering. He offers a unique package and there will be plenty of clubs after him. Isak and Ekitike can both play wide, as a number 10 and as a central striker, so their interplay might be great to see. They could be an absolutely lethal combination.

According to the Mail, Liverpool have also made enquiries about Watkins, Wissa, Osimhen and Rodrygo, as well as Ekitike.

There's an equally dubious rumour about Chelsea coming in for him, as well as Liverpool. It could easily be journalistic speculation about what they think those clubs 'ought' to do. If there's truth in this, the player would do well to remember what happened when PSG beat us to his signature. Do you want a club that has shown a long-term commitment to you, or a more glamorous option from a club whose interest seems more flaky?

I think Ekitike is more likely to play wide or as a No 10, in which case I wonder whether Barnes or Gordon will move on. I wasn't too impressed with this player when we were first interested, but the footage of him playing in Germany is very encouraging.

I'm extra-optimistic this season because I think if we get a new CB, new striker and perhaps another central midfield player in, Eddie will be able to rotate without significantly weakening the team. He's not had that luxury before.

I had a laugh but he's actually spoilt their big moment. If that had happened to my team, I'd be furious. PS - Just had a look at my recording. Infantino tries to usher him away initially, but Trump ignores him. Infantino retires to the edge of the group, then returns and almost seems to wrestle Trump away through the players and out the back. The man's a disgrace.

On reflection, that's an even worse idea than I first thought. The players' mindset should be on the game that's in front of them, not past glories.

That looks like a great way of motivating every opposing team to raise their game.

The sending off was a bit odd. The ref gave a yellow so he must have already seen Cucurella getting his hair pulled. The replay wouldn't have shown him anything more. By the time that PSG realised that they needed to get stuck in, it was too late. Unfortunately, this result is likely to give Chelsea a boost. With Delap and Joao Pedro to choose from, their long-standing central striker problem seems to be sorted.

It's interesting, because Premiership teams gave PSG some trouble in the Champions League. They're not enjoying the physical challenge that Chelsea are presenting. They don't look properly prepared. Palmer is Chelsea's danger man, but I've never seen him given so much time and space before.