Jamie Carragher and Thierry Henry debate Alexander Isak’s future 🔎

► Subscribe to Sky Sports Premier League: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsPL
► Watch Sky Sports: https://bit.ly/BuySkySports

Watch Jamie Carragher and Thierry Henry debate Newcastle forward Alexander Isak’s future with the Magpies, amid controversy around a potential move to Liverpool – who they meet in the Monday Night Football tonight.

#alexanderisak #liverpool #newcastle

00:00 – How highly does Henry rate Isak?
04:26 – Isak vs Ekitike comparison
06:50 – what do the fans want?
09:00 – Should Newcastle sell Isak?

► Premier League highlights: https://bit.ly/PLHighlights2526
► MNF, FNF, SNF & Super Sunday analysis: https://bit.ly/SkyMatchAnalysis
► Gary Neville Podcast: https://bit.ly/GaryNevillePodcast
► Saturday Social: https://bit.ly/SkySaturdaySocial

► Buy this season’s shirts: https://bit.ly/SkySportsShop

More from Sky Sports on YouTube:

► Sky Sports: http://bit.ly/SkySportsSub
► Sky Sports Boxing: http://bit.ly/SSBoxingSub
► Sky Sports Cricket: http://bit.ly/SubscribeSkyCricket
► Sky Sports Darts: https://bit.ly/SubSkySportsDarts
► Sky Sports Football: http://bit.ly/SSFootballSub
► Sky Sports F1: http://bit.ly/SubscribeSkyF1
► Sky Sports Golf: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsGolf
► Sky Sports News: http://bit.ly/SkySportsNewsSub
► Sky Sports Retro: http://bit.ly/SkySportsRetroSub

► Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SkySportsFootball
► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skysportsfootball
► TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skysportsfootball
► X: https://x.com/SkySportsPL
► Website: https://www.skysports.com

► To enquire about licensing Sky Sports content, you can find out more here: https://www.skysports.com/more-sports/news/31754/11434270/license-sky-sports-footage

Before we get into the weeds, if you like, how highly do you rate Isach? I think with the season that he had last season is is is you can battle with Holland and the way he played last year and the way he played the year before, but I think he’s up there with if not the best striker in the league at the moment. And I think that’s why people are upset at Newcastle because you’re about to lose the if not the best striker with Alan obviously like I mentioned before in the league. So it’s it’s kind of weird seeing it from afar myself. Do I rate him? Yes, obviously I rate him. I think he’s a great striker what he can give you off and on the ball the way he finishes also. But you know when when you have a player in this type of situation uh at at his club where he wants to leave, it’s because he’s good that people are getting upset because when a player is not good and a club wants him out, I don’t see anyone crying for the player. So I can understand the fans and the club. I also can understand him. The only thing that I that I said looking at everyone talking about it, you always put yourself in a situation as a player where people might not understand if you don’t come to training. This is something that’s very very difficult for people to to understand, but obviously they must have said something to him. Newcastle replied, you always hear that. You’ve you’ve you’ve heard it before she said at the minute. Yeah. I mean, it’s it’s do we know the whole story? No, we will never know the whole story. All I say is that at one point you you cannot put yourself in a situation when you don’t come to train. So how do you see this resolving itself? Do you think it it it can in the next week? Is there a situation where he stays at Newcastle and comes back and welcomed back into the squad? I think for me in an ideal world the best thing for him is I think for everybody is if he can leave. But I also do believe that when someone makes a mistake, if he sees if it sees as a mistake after from his dressing room, if he apologize, then we can we can move on. If he scores goals and he start to play the same way he played last year, the Newcastle fans will be okay about it. the best for me right now the way it is and you you you dealt with that with with Torres because we talked about it before is I think the best for Liverpool and Newcastle is if he goes but I do think also if someone does apologize if it’s seen as a mistake because we don’t know what has been said inside the camp um I would accept it if I was a player but he needs to apologize if he wants to come back I’m not sure that Newcastle fans will agree with you Sherry that the best thing is for him to go and this is let’s have a look at some of the reasons Why? Because anyhow, it seems is desperate to keep him and some of the Newcastle, a lot of the Newcastle fans despite what’s happened. Uh they are the Newcastle goals, the top scorers since Isak made his debut. And look at his contribution to the cause. He’s been such a big part of this success story, returning Newcastle to the Champions League, not just once, but twice and delivering their first um major trophy for 70 years as well. But what happens when he’s not there? Well, it feels like there’s a narrative building around this as well. The last four games they’ve taken two points from without Isac. They haven’t actually scored in those last four games. Just won this season. And that was the opening weekend goalless draw at Aston Villa. But even in that game, they had 16 shots. 47 overall, 11 of which were on target. And that XG creeping up almost towards six. They might have been expected to score six goals, they haven’t scored a single one. Is that why he is so highly praised? by Newcastle United. Not just highly praised by Newcastle, I think around the world and the league. This is why Liverpool are looking to break the bank for him if you like, but I was speaking to Terry before. I think Eac is seen as a better player than probably what than he actually is because there’s such a dirt of great strikers around the world and in the Premier League. I think if you went back to sort of tier these days, I think there would be six or sevens in the Premier League sort of playing it, you know, sort of for the top clubs. But at this moment, as I said, there aren’t many top center forwards out there right now. Newcastle know that they’ve tried to, you know, sign so many. And for Liverpool, there’s just one who they want. And I think that just tells you where we are with the central strikers in the world right now. Come and have a look at these graphics, guys, because the other player that’s linked to this story is is Hugo Eat, a player that Newcastle United tried to sign and that Liverpool did. What’s really interesting is when we look at Opta’s striker profiling here and these are their two profiles side by side and Opta have taken the data from the last 10 years of football across Europe’s five major leagues and the one player that is closest to Echk in profiling in all of those an 84% match is Alexander Isach which is pretty incredible and and this is I suppose showing us the data of an out andout striker you’d expect the high xG and and it should point out as well that the closer you are to the outer line, the closer you are to the elite. So high xG for both high concentration of shots and touches in the opposition box where they they feature less. Both is around winning aerial balls and winning the ball back from the opposition as well. But both doing well in terms of progressive carries. Neither gets involved too much in buildups as you can see. It’s quite incredible, isn’t it? It’s like a a mirror looking at these two. But they do also create chances. Um the both of them is is a bit of the problem for Newcastle United is that maybe they might have been thinking on the lines we might have to sell Isak if the price is right. We’ll get this guy who is such a close match to him but then Liverpool got him. Yeah. And that’s why I think Newcastle initially I think in the back of the mind with the discussions that they’ve been having with Isak it seems maybe for the last sort of six or seven months thinking there’s a good chance he might go next summer. How can we replicate what he gives us? He’s the carbon copy. Newcastle going for Eatique Liverpool right on the phone. If you’re going for him does that mean you’re selling Isak? No we’re not. Maybe that’s a bargaining position from Newcastle initially you know a month or so six weeks ago. So Liverpool go for the next best thing in terms of, you know, the stats, the data. We know Liverpool like to use that. So Liverpool get him, but still Liverpool wants Alexander Each and and I just can’t help think and and think back to those days probably six weeks ago when you think I think the world would be a lot calmer or certainly would be probably a lot less ferocious in St. James’s Park tonight if Yugo Ekitiki was playing for Newcastle, Alexander Ezak was was playing for Liverpool. An 84% match according to the OPA profiling. I mentioned the Newcastle fan reaction as well because this has a part to play in this and we’ve teamed up with analysis this season to help us gauge fan opinion of all 20 Premier League clubs. So, we asked Newcastle fans the question here. Would you like to see Isak play for Newcastle again? Pretty split. Yeah, I think you’d have to say yes. 58% would would welcome him back, but it feels like he’s also burnt some bridges as well. 42% saying they don’t want to see him play for Newcastle again. What about Liverpool fans? We’ve asked them as well. You’ll be less surprised probably with this. Do you want to see Liverpool sign Alexander Isach? And 87% say absolutely yes. Suppose when we we’ve compared the the the profiling, Thierry, if Liverpool fans want Isak, would you go as far to say they actually need Alexander Isac this season? Yes. It’s a different need of a team that maybe plays at the bottom or in the middle of of the table. It’s because if you play in in all competition, you need to have two very good strikers. One that’s coming up which is Ugo Pitiki and if you manage to get Isak, you can get one of the the best striker in your league. But I go back to the Man United treble and I know I go back to tactic obviously 442 there not a lot of team that play with two strikers but you had York and Cole and Sheringham and Solkare on the bench. What is it? I don’t think that it’s it will be crazy if you have an outstanding striker and a very good one also on the bench one for one. Do you understand what I mean? It’s just for me if you want to play in all competition. If you look at the squad that we had at Barcelona, the squad that won Champions League recently, look at the front three and look at the what’s on the bench also, you know. So, I do think it’s a need if you want to perform in all the competitions. The problem for Newcastle United right now is they don’t have a single available center forward. The reports this afternoon that Jorgen Strand Lassen from Wolves is their big target and Wolves have rejected a 50 million pound bid from from Newcastle. They’re saying he is going nowhere because it’s too late to find a replacement. With all that in mind, Jamie, does it feel more and more unlikely that Isak will be going anywhere? I’m not sure. I still think it’s a toss of a coin. And do you think this the timing of this game was significant, too? Yeah, I don’t think a deal was ever going to get done before this game. Uh I couldn’t see that. It’ll be interesting what happens in the next few days. For me, I can’t believe that Liverpool, it’s just or no one, but it does feel like that the closer we are getting to the end of of the window. Now, Ti just said that it’s almost like a must for Liverpool to sign Isak. I’ve never been of that opinion. So, I’m one of the sort of few Liverpool fans who are probably not all in on has to be EA. We have to spend this money. And I’ve I’ve mentioned those reasons why I don’t think he’s as durable as maybe a Mo Salah. Actually, in the last three seasons, he’s missed 36 league games. It’s almost a season out of three seasons he’s been at Newcastle. But what I’m going to say is now this is not because I’m thinking I want Isak at Liverpool. I think Newcastle should sell Isach. And the reason I say that is because there’ll be so many people outside of Newcastle telling Newcastle and Eddie how what they have to do. You’ve got to be strong. You’ve got to show that Liver Liverpool or any other club. You’ve got to show in the future that players can’t just come in and demand to go. But they don’t have the problem of Isac every day. They don’t have the problem Eddie Howard of every press conference going in there and getting asked questions about it. It’s a cloud over the club constantly. And the reason I say because I’ve got experience of it. We had this with Fernando Torres at Liverpool where he didn’t really want to be at the club. He ended up staying and we got rid of him. Not got rid of him, but we sold him in the January. That four or five months was a nightmare for the club and everybody the club couldn’t wait for him to move on. The reason being is and it’s similar to Newcastle. Newcastle as a as a club are here delighted to be in the Champions League. Isak is a player who wants to win the Champions League. Newcastle want to get there as well, don’t they? But they’re not there now and he’s 25 26. The point I’m making again is when we were going for for the Champions League at Liverpool, we had some world class players. As soon as our level dropped, people like Torres, world-class player, Mascaraniano, world class player, Shavi Alonso, world class player, wanted to leave because there’s too much of a gap between where they are as players and where the club are. So, it’s not me just sort of having a go at Newcastle and wanting their player to come to Liverpool. I’ve got experience of that situation. And when you’ve got a player who doesn’t want to be there, it can be an absolute nightmare.