Newcastle United have emerged from the throes of the summer transfer window with a squad fit for purpose, in spite of all the disruption which has hampered Eddie Howe’s side’s start to the season.
Two points from three opening Premier League matches isn’t good enough, but context is oh-so important, and Howe will be confident and adamant to restore that winning feeling to Tyneside.
However, he and his team will have to do so without the services of Alexander Isak, who has completed his British record transfer to Liverpool on transfer deadline day.
Newcastle have strengthened considerably across the past several months, even if at times it felt that imapctful signings simply wouldn’t find their way into Howe’s brood, and while the late signings of Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade has ensured that Isak can leave without it being to the detriment of squad depth, it rankles all the same.
Why Newcastle sold Isak
The summer transfer window’s most protracted saga is over, and Howe must be relieved that he can now get to work with the players who want to fight for the black-and-white badge.
Isak, 25, had been on strike for the final month of his Newcastle career, looking to force through a move to Liverpool. He got his wish, and United banked a record-breaking fee.
While Isak contributed toward the most successful period in Newcastle’s modern history, his conduct has left a stain on his legacy, with Newcastle’s 37-word confirmation of his sale, opting against expressing gratitude, bleak evidence of that fact.
Still, while Isak’s decision to pack up and leave stings, the Sweden international’s sale has added plenty to the coffers, with PIF redistributing the wealth into a new frontline.
The addition of a Prem-proven striker in Wissa and a potential superstar in Woltemade eases the blow, to be sure, but Howe has overseen another sale in recent memory which was laced with just as much pain.
Only this departee conducted himself far better than the club’s former talisman.
Howe's most painful Newcastle sale
Isak’s sale was freighted with emotion, much of which stemmed from the Tyneside faithful’s disbelief that he would – for want of a better term – throw his toys out of the pram after cementing himself as a legend.
But cement can be chiselled to dust, and Isak is now just another one-time star. However, the same cannot be said for Elliot Anderson, who had to be sold to Nottingham Forest one year ago so that PIF could placate the temper of the Premier League’s PSR rules.
It was July 2024, and Nottingham Forest bagged themselves one of Newcastle’s own for £35m, Anderson having made his senior debut for the Toon in 2021 and gone on to feature 55 times.
Still only 22, he was integral in Forest’s success last year, regularly playing from the outset in the Premier League and impressing with his multi-faceted approach to his play.
Last month, Thomas Tuchel handed Anderson his first England call-up, a testament to his good work.
It’s been a tough pill for the Magpies to swallow, not least because of the knowledge that he would rather ply his craft under the St. James’ Park lights, a boyhood fan and indeed only jumping ship because external forces demanded it.
Anderson’s form since leaving absolutely suggests he could be a major player in Howe’s system, perhaps precluding last week’s £43m signing of Jacob Ramsey from Aston Villa, had he stayed.
We are but three fixtures into the 2025/26 campaign, and so metrics drawn from Premier League performances are skewed, but Anderson has started off in fine fettle, all right, marking a continuation from last season’s success in Nuno Espirito Santo’s European-qualifiying team.
Matches (starts)
37 (33)
3 (3)
Goals
2
0
Assists
6
1
Touches*
54.2
105.0
Pass completion
82%
89%
Big chances created
7
1
Key passes*
1.0
1.7
Dribbles*
1.0
1.0
Ball recoveries*
5.6
6.0
Tackles + interceptions*
2.5
4.0
Duels (won)*
6.5
8.7
Whether he can keep it up is another question entirely, but Anderson is certainly showing that he has the making of an elite Premier League midfielder, with Forest fan Adam Wilco remarking to BBC Sport that he has “the world at his feet”.
After all, Anderson ranks among the top 12% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for both assists and tackles, and the top 11% for successful take-ons per 90, data courtesy of FBref, which emphasises that bit more his propensity for complete midfield play.
A successful take-on is recorded when a player beats their opponent by directly carrying the ball past them while retaining possession.
Newcastle will get over the sale of Isak. They will soon forget that world-class striker who made it his wish to leave Tyneside this summer no matter what.
However, Anderson could find himself pitted against Howe’s side in five years to come, and still the Newcastle crowds would pay respect to an up-and-coming prospect, an academy graduate, who was forced into leaving, understandably so, to stop the threat of financial repercussions.
Of course, there’s every chance that Newcastle will look to re-sign their youngster who flew the nest, but reports stemming from his sale do confirm that a buy-back clause was not inserted when the signatures were scribbled off.
Where Are They Now
Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.
Hailed in the past as a “phenomenal” young talent by former teammate Alex Rodman while out on loan with Bristol Rovers, Anderson might not play for Newcastle any longer, but he’s still remembered fondly by the fanbase.
The same can’t be said for all.