Leaving goals in Newcastle when your star striker is needed to gain sharpness by playing in a pre-season friendly at Celtic was a baffling decision by Magpies manager Eddie Howe.
It is understandable he didn’t want Alexander Isak to be the centre of post-match speculation if he had played in the defeat to the Scottish champions at Parkhead but the move has raised red flags in a city which bleeds black and white as it has renewed speculation he could be sold.
Liverpool have been linked, Saudi Arabia has been mentioned and Arsenal are lurking in the shadows as they are still trying to sign the striker needed to transform them from perennial Premier League runners-up into a side capable of winning the title for the first time in more than two decades.
And who would really be shocked if Chelsea conjured up the finances to secure the Sweden international’s services over a lengthy period ranging from between six to eight years?
Bayern Munich could also be interested along with Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain as the Tyneside terror is one of the best finishers on the planet, having scored 54 Premier League goals in three years at the St James’ Park club.
Despite agreeing to sign Eintracht Frankfurt forward Hugo Ekitike for £69million, the Reds are in need of more firepower if they are to retain the title following the tragic passing of Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz’s desire to move on and Arne Slot’s willingness to allow Darwin Nunez to join another club.
The trouble for all potential purchasers is Newcastle need back up for Isak rather than scurrying around trying to find a replacement. They have failed in attempts to sign Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, who have both joined Manchester United and missed out on Joao Pedro and Liam Delap, who have swelled Chelsea’s ranks.
Missing those targets mean Newcastle are highly unlikely to allow the jewel in their crown to depart, which would leave them desperately short of goals ahead of a new season which sees them back in the Champions League.
Newcastle have insisted Isak is not for sale and even if they were forced to let him go because his head has been turned they would regard £150m as the bare minimum for an elite scorer who supplied 23 goals and six assists in the top-flight last term, while also bagging the decisive strike in the 2-1 Carabao Cup final success over Liverpool at Wembley.
If Isak were to leave then the 4/1 with BetMGM and Unibet he heads to Anfield is a decent price but big-hitters should smash into the 1/3 with bet365 that he’s still a Newcastle player when the transfer window closes. The Magpies simply cannot allow a rival club to steal him from their grasp.
Darts odds: Filth and fury in Blackpool
Johnny Rotten appears at the Rebellion Festival in Blackpool next month but the Sex Pistols singer will struggle to match the same filth and fury seen in the explosive ruckus between Gerwyn Price and Daryl Gurney in their heated World Matchplay encounter in the Winter Gardens on Monday.
The darts duo are not the best of friends – security had to separate them after a Premier League match in Sheffield six years ago – and were involved in a heated exchange after Price’s 10-7 first-round triumph when ‘Super Chin’ appeared to mock the Iceman’s energetic victory celebrations, having earlier mouthed an apparent obscenity as he headed for a break in play.
Price faces Chris Dobey in the second round and is 10/11 with William Hill, bet365, Betway Betfred and BoyleSports to win by over 2.5 legs while new kid on the block Josh Rock can take the scalp of three-time World Matchplay champion Michael van Gerwen at 8/13 with Hills.
Horse racing odds
The eagerly awaited rematch between Jan Brueghel and Calandagan takes place at Ascot on Saturday in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the former horse, trained by Aidan O’Brien, can repeat his half-length victory when winning the Coronation Cup at Epsom at the start of June at 2/1 with William Hill.
