Eddie Howe says Newcastle are not in a financial position to sign Alexander Isak on a new contract. He reminds players that rewards only come with performance on the field.
Mail Sport announced on Thursday that there will be no more talks about a new contract after preliminary talks at the end of last season, and that has alarmed Arsenal admirers.
The club, led by new sporting director Paul Mitchell, believes Isak has sufficient time to fulfill his contract – which expires in 2028 – and he is already one of the top earners. The striker’s camp is also said to have reservations about the pace of the project on Tyneside, with Isak harboring Champions League ambitions.
Howe discussed the topic Friday and admitted there were no ongoing contract discussions.
“It’s a slightly more complex situation,” he said when asked a question comparing Anthony Gordon’s new contract this week. ‘I think he has a long contract with Alex anyway and that because of PSR we have to be very careful with our expenditure. It’s not a clear situation.
Eddie Howe revealed Newcastle are not in a financial position to offer Alexander Isak a new contract due to PSR concerns
Negotiations over an improved deal for the Swede began at the end of last season but have since been halted
Isak scored 21 league goals last season as the Magpies finished outside the European places
‘Every decision we make as a football club has a domino effect. In terms of contract extensions, this has a knock-on effect for PSR, and we need to make sure we don’t put ourselves in a position where we can’t trade freely during the transfer window because of what we’ve done with individual player contracts. .
‘We obviously love Alex and want him to stay at Newcastle for many more years and score lots of goals for us, but I don’t see any problems with his contract in the short term. Right now, Alex just needs to focus on his football. Whether it’s him saying, ‘I’m doing well. My contract still runs for four more years, I am happy at the club and I just want to play my best football.” That is the ideal world.
‘But of course nothing in football is easy, so I’m sure there will be ongoing discussions between Alex, his representatives and the club. Alex can only improve his situation by playing well.’
Newcastle’s challenge is to convince players like Isak that they can realize their ambition at St James’ Park, and this was put to Howe.
“My part of that is creating an environment where they enjoy coming in every day, where they feel stimulated during their training and feel like they are growing in their performance and career,” said the head coach.
“Other things in the neighborhood go to another place, away from me. One of the challenges we have with all our best players is to continually move the club forward. It is very easy to talk about ambition, but we must show ambition. We need to provide them with an environment where they feel like they are flourishing, because the better they perform, the better we can build the structures around them. I am very aware of that and I know the club is very aware of that because what we don’t want to do is disband our team every year.
‘We have to make sure that as a football club we do our bit for them. But the player also has to perform at that level. If he says he has huge ambitions, he must actually do business on the field. It is a two-way street, the challenge is always avoided. As a player you can say that I want to play European football, but then you also have to play at that level. I definitely want as many players as possible to reach those levels because I know if we do, we will be there (Europe) ourselves.”
The 25-year-old’s ambitions to play Champions League football have sparked interest from Arsenal
Newcastle finished fourth two seasons ago and played Champions League football last season, but a return to seventh in May means they have no continental competition this time around.
Howe added: ‘We need to have a perception of performance, growing as a football club to not just keep the so-called big names happy, but keep everyone happy and moving in the forward direction.
“I’ve seen it go the other way very quickly, so I think me and everyone associated with the club has a big job to do to keep that momentum positive and keep the dreams really big. It is absolutely crucial that we continue to do that.
‘Now we also have to take action on the field. You can’t just talk about it, you have to get results on the pitch, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
