Keegans Export

This is a guy who doesn't even like loan deals because he only wants players who are fully engaged - he wants Isak out 100% in my opinion and the only reason he's not being more forceful about that publicly is because he doesn't want to weaken our hand.

Wissa and Jackson makes no sense with ACN around the corner. We're going to spend the best part of £100m on two strikers who will quite possibly both be unavailable during the busiest time of the season?

Honestly, of all the names we've been linked with I think I want Wissa the most. His ceiling isn't as high as Sesko, Agehowa etc. but you could quite happily stick him up front in any PL or Champions League game and trust him to do a good job, while you could also see him happy in the 22/23 Wilson role if one of our other targets comes in and hits the ground running.

With the benefit of hindsight they're looking very much like "Oh yeah, I've got a girlfriend but she goes to a different school so you won't have heard of her..."

Also, if we'd done the other business we'd needed (CB, CM, Wissa) I'd be much more...I won't say happy...comfortable maybe...with the last remaining question mark being Isak or someone else? As it is the whole squad is weaker and we may end up replacing arguably our best player with our 7th or 8th choice alternative.

Out of everyone on that uninspiring list of Hope's Wissa is the clear #1 imo and I would have plenty of confidence in him being our Wilson replacement. The issue is that the only other name on there that would interest me is Jackson but 1. He'd be £60m+ 2. It'd mean being without both strikers over ACN Really, none of those named are even close to being Isak replacements. Delap might have been. Pedro yes. Ekitike yes. Sesko probably yes. The rest of the names we've been linked with I'd have behind Wissa in the pecking order, never mind Isak.

Hopefully a large part of the meeting with Isak (and presumably his agent) is us making absolutely clear what our position is - whether that is "not for sale" or a specific price - and that if he is still a Newcastle player on 1st September we are 100% willing to pay him to play for and train with the U21s for three years if he doesn't apply himself. See how many clubs are lining up to pay him £300k/week in 2029. That needs to come from the very top, horse's mouth. Take away his only real negotiating position.

It's not even just on us. If Liverpool had moved for him before Wirtz and Ekitike maybe they could have afforded our asking price weeks ago? If they hadn't gazumped us for Ekitike maybe we would have already have his replacement in place? They played the game and unfortunately their actions have led to a situation where we can’t currently let him go.

The thing I don't quite understand is that surely we have (or had) a plan that didn't involve Isak leaving - targets identified in key positions, an approximate budget for those moves etc. Why aren't we making those moves independently of the Isak situation? Then if Isak doesn't go, the squad is where we hoped it would be when last season ended. If he does go then we'll have his replacement (whoever that is) plus some additional PSR leeway for either this transfer window or a future one. I don't get why the Isak situation, as difficult as it is, stops us making moves for players we've known we needed for months?

I was fine with us targeting high-profile players initially. It isn't what I would have done but I could understand the logic and we were unfortunate to have been out-bid by more established clubs with deeper pockets. But to be just over 10 days away from the start of the season and still be trying and failing to land these sorts of targets is absolutely appalling imo. I'm sure we'd have loved Delap, Mbeumo, Ekitike, Pedro etc. but the lack of any sort of creativity in our transfer business over the past month or two I just can't get my head around. I've got no idea who is leading our strategy this summer but, depending on what happens in the next few weeks, they could have put our progress back by years.

We've got two friendlies back-to-back at the weekend, I'm not sure we have enough players to fulfil them both

Because he wants to go to Man Utd and they don't want to risk the £70m+ they're offering for the sake of a few extra million from us.

If Sesko himself says it's Man Utd or nobody they'd be daft to turn down £70m+ for the sake of a few million difference between our offer and theirs.

Clearly just covering all bases there

I think we made our bid to essentially force the other parties involved to shit or get off the pot. Unfortunately, Man Utd decided not to get off the pot.

We need to stick to our guns. The financial cost of keeping him is about £15m (amortisation + estimated wages for 11 months or so) so there's no benefit to selling him for £20-30m shy of our valuation. If he stays that means we don't spend £40m on Wissa then we're saving ~£12m so the difference is negligible. If we think he might struggle with motivation, well here's one of the most in-demand young strikers in the world, wearing the #9 shirt, who wants to take your spot and maybe in a year he's the one Liverpool, Bayern, Barca etc are looking at so best you don't just sulk about it.

I trusted our scouting team to identify very good players, not necessarily those particular players. We'll see how I feel if we actually do sign those players (or similar) but I'm not convinced as it stands.

Seeing as I went into this summer expecting us to sign a striker, a midfielder and a defender without selling Isak, no that wouldn't make me feel any better. I would change my mind if Sesko/Wissa hit the ground running obviously, but until then...

I don't think it's that he doesn't want to come here. He's probably quite keen. But if everything was equal he might go to Man Utd instead. Us putting money on the table is basically saying "This is the offer, take it, or wait and see if Man Utd are serious. If they aren't then you're at Leipzig for another year because we arent hanging around"

Get Andy Howe on the Laxido

Don't think there's anything controversial or alienating there at all, nor anything that will affect whatever is happening between Isak, Howe & the club.

Ah just like the good old days *wipes away tear*

Could be in the contract or would be one for CAS. Compensation could be substantial though, if we then have to spend £70m+ on a replacement for example.

https://www.flightradar24.com/AXY541V/3b8eb9a7 I think this is the team's flight back in. Delayed until 8.45am so no training today you'd assume.