I don’t get people making connections between the Isak situation and Elliott. One is acentre forward and the other is an attacking midfielder. Elliott isnever going to play CF and I’d be surprised, and disappointed to see him in any of the attacking positions. I just don’t see how one affects the other.
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We should be looking to sign a versatile forward/winger regardless of what happens with Isak. It will add some much needed depth while also not exposing us fully on the outcome of the Isak tussle. If Isak comes, so much the better, but it shouldn’t be an all or nothing type of thing.
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Why they keep trying to frame these players as being a replacement for Wilson is beyond me.
The easiest deal to do right now is Jackson and for whatever reason they still haven’t moved for him.
If Isak stays at NUFC, what then? Surely they’ll mount a huge charm offensive to try and get him to reconcile. Will he stand firm and spend four months kicking his heels?
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Exactly. It’s a huge gamble on their part. Perhaps they are willing to take this gamble, say to January, because Isak is the best striker out there and if there is any chance of bringing him back into the fold, they will want a few months to do it.
But Isak has been pretty forthright in saying he is finished at Newcastle, and there are reports that the players are divided over trying to win him back and letting him go/kicking him to touch.
It will be a distraction that overshadows what Howe is trying to do with his team during the season, and it seems ill-advised for Newcastle to hold on to the player.
Wissa/Larsen/Jackson.
Sign two and be done with it.
Wilson played 370 minutes last season. The idea they are signing a 50m striker to replace him is hilarious.
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No one has the luxury of always being able to play from a strong hand. Shit happens and you are forced to respond which often means taking the least worst option. Just like when Ward announced his exit we felt we didnt want to make big financial decisions on the likes of Virgil and Mo without someone in place who was going to be responsible for living with the consequences of those decisions. It was a gamble in that it risked us getting to a place where we’d lose key players for free, but the alterative of moving more quickly was a gamble also.
Newcastle have had their ability to manage these situations similarly undermined by factors outside of their control with a succession of unexpected losses at the executive level. That does not mean they managed the situation well, but once they found themselves with backs against the walls, every path forward was a gamble and they shouldnt be judged their position now being seen as a gamble. What if they took the money early in the window and found themselves with 110 million burning a hole in their pockets?
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Also Wilson left Newcastle at the end of last season and they’ll have known for weeks before that that they weren’t going to agree a new deal.
If they’re still chasing a replacement for him at the end of August no wonder Isak has lost some faith in their project.
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Strength in depht. Elliot has already played as a right winger in replacement for Salah, and as a central attacking midfielder. If we don’t get a new guy in for CF, and Ekitike becomes unavailable for some reason, there is still the possibility to move Salah into the centre, and play Elliot on the right wing. That’s at least how I see it.
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I think it’s more likely that Wirtz plays as a False 9 over moving Mo off of the wing.
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Anyway, there’s very much a PR war being played here by Newcastle. But the fact of the matter is this - can - and will - Isak be reintegrated if they don’t sell him? Look at how the fans have treated him. Look at his public statements. Howe is walking a fine line but it seems clear to me that he’d prefer Isak to be gone.
They’re claiming they can’t sell Isak until they get in a striker to replace him - as if it’s nailed on that he’s going to play for them again if they don’t sell him.
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Don’t see a world in which this doesn’t get done.
Newcastle can’t bank on him coming back into the fold and then they’re not going to want to go through this again in January or next summer.
Brentford aren’t going to want Wissa kicking up a fuss until January either.
As much as everyone worries about how long is left in the window deals can be done in a matter of hours. Happens every deadline day.
I just see all this as posturing and no one wanting to be seen as a soft touch or first to concede ground in negotiations or risk being left short. I highly doubt we don’t have a backup plan (Rodrygo on loan maybe) but we’ll try and hold as long as we can.
Brentford shift position on Wissa, Chelsea drop the price on Jackson as neither want to carry an unhappy/unwanted player into the season. That gives Newcastle the licence to come to the table on Isak and agree a price with us.
It’s not comfortable seeing it run this late but we seem calm about the situation which tells me they’re confident in getting the desired outcome or a decent alternative if the chain needed does indeed break down.
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The reason might be Jackson thinking “If I do really well and a big club come in for me, you fuckers won’t let me go”.
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Just saying…
We could get Origi on a free for a couple of seasons 
Clearlake owns most of Chelsea. PIF own Newcastle and have invested heavily into Clearlake. There’s a very simple loan deal to be done there that would suit a lot of parties.
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PIF is not a single entity but a large group with lots of divisions. The part of PIF that has invested in clearlake have done so to get a return on their investment and will be judged independently of performance of other areas of the company. They have zero interest in helping out Newcastle and I imagine it would likely be illegal for the investment part of Clearlake do anything unrelated to getting returns on their investment such that it was helping out Chelsea or other entities that people who have money in clearlake are also invested in.
Its a connection that I get why people make, but just isnt really there.
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If his agents are worth their commissions, they should be wrangling NUFC’s hand to agree to a reasonable release clause of about maybe 90m -110m gbps that gives everyone a chance to get what they want.
A club that can either pay the full release clause or can pay slightly more than the release clause in return for instalments would be a God-send or in the geordie terms, Allah-send for NUFC’s PSR position.
However, knowing that Howe’s nephew is running the show, I have dim hopes of NUFC agreeing to that release clause just because that clown thinks he can run a bloody auction lol…
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It did cross my mind whether Chelsea would be open to Nicholas going out on loan, (or other players such as Hoiland at Utd for example). Makes sense for Newcastle to consider options like that if they don’t fully trust the player as a long term replacement. Also probably makes sense for Chelsea if they can’t sell him this window.
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reluctance to include release clauses is probably more to do with controlling the timing of the sale rather than worrying about whether you miss out on potential higher fee when selling.
Looks like Nicolas Jackson will sign for Bayern on loan.
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