Overview

• Alexander Isak’s British-record £125m transfer from Newcastle to Liverpool was completed on deadline day after a protracted saga.
• Sweden manager Jon Dahl Tomasson left Isak on the bench against Slovenia, calling it a “risk” to play him after only three training sessions and no pre-season, and suggested he could be a “game-changer” against Kosovo.
• Newcastle defender Dan Burn said he has “nothing but good wishes” for Isak and revealed the squad responded positively to the striker’s farewell message in the team’s WhatsApp chat.
• The move followed a 55-day standoff in which Isak refused to train, skipped pre-season and worked out at Real Sociedad, drawing fan anger and a brief club statement confirming his sale.
• Newcastle reinvested in forwards Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa, with Eddie Howe acknowledging the episode tested his squad.