Newcastle had perfect Alexander Isak replacement ready to join – ‘they let him slip away’
Newcastle United have been criticised for letting the perfect Alexander Isak replacement slip away during the transfer window.
Isak completed a deadline day move to Liverpool, ending months of speculation and controversy surrounding his future.
Newcastle began the summer insisting that the Swedish striker was not for sale, but the 25-year-old eventually managed to force through the transfer.
Throughout the window, the Magpies missed out on a number of key targets, one of those being Joao Pedro, who joined Chelsea.
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that Pedro would have been a better replacement for Isak than the likes of Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade.
Newcastle let Joao Pedro slip away
This article contains exclusive comment from Keith Wyness, former Everton, Aston Villa, and Aberdeen CEO.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness insisted that Newcastle had the opportunity to sign Pedro, but let that chance slip away.
Eddie Howe’s side also missed out on the likes of Liam Delap, Bryan Mbeumo, Hugo Ekitike, and James Trafford.
Wyness added that the reason things went wrong is that Newcastle didn’t have a CEO or sporting director in place throughout the summer.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “It’s been a real mess for Newcastle, the way this has all been handled. They haven’t got a chief executive, they haven’t got a sporting director, and this has come home to roost.
“This Isak situation would have all been avoided if they had signed Joao Pedro. They just vacillated around the Joao Pedro deal and let that slip away, and in the end, Chelsea stole him.
“He had a chance to go to Newcastle, and that would have allowed Isak to go to Liverpool. Joao Pedro would have been a far better replacement for Isak, so that could be a consequence of having no CEO and no sporting director.
“I’m hearing that the PIF are very process-driven in the way they want all decisions to be made. With my knowledge and experience, believe me, process is not what you need in transfer windows with football clubs.
“You need to have the manager, the chairman, and the CEO all aligned together to make quick snap decisions because things happen very, very quickly. Even these days with big money deals, you’ve got to make decisions quickly.
“If you start going into process-driven decisions where you’ve got to consult five, six, or ten people, it’s unwieldy. It doesn’t work, and it’s part of the reason this is going wrong. So I’m hoping that the PIF will learn from this.”
Liverpool make Marc Guehi transfer decision
Meanwhile, Liverpool are set to reignite their interest in Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi in January, sources have told Football Insider.
Guehi’s move to Anfield was blocked by Palace even after the transfer deal sheet was submitted, with the South London club unable to find a replacement for their captain.
However, sources say that it is expected that Liverpool will go back in for the 25-year-old at the start of next year, when the transfer window reopens.
With his contract at Selhurst Park expiring next summer, Guehi would be available for a reduced price in the new year, which could tempt Liverpool into making another approach.
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