Two major Alexander Isak issues ‘revealed’ as Swede asks to leave Newcastle

Paul Mitchell’s time as Sporting Director at Newcastle United is looking like more and more of a disaster with every passing week.

The former Spurs and Monaco man arrived to much fanfare last season, but amidst tense relations with Eddie Howe and the disaster of the Marc Guehi saga, he and the club abruptly went their separate ways back in May.

In the fallout of Mitchell’s departure, stories began to emerge about just how flawed some of Mitchell’s planning and activity was, such as wanting to avoid paying so much money for the full back pairing of Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento.

But in the wake of today’s news surrounding Alexander Isak, and if a new report is to be believed, Paul Mitchell may have just made himself public enemy no.1 on Tyneside in the eyes of the fans…

Salary debacle at heart of Isak departure claims

According to The Mail’s Craig Hope, Alexander Isak felt “furious” that the club, in a decision spearheaded by Mitchell, refused to gift him a salary increase previously promised before Amanda Staveley’s exit.

In more exclusive information from The Mail, Hope writes “Mitchell, not without reason given the club’s Profit and Sustainability peril, took the view that Isak had four years to run on his contract and was already among the top earners.”

Whilst it’s easy to understand where Mitchell was coming from, as serious overspending had to be addressed and the club couldn’t afford to drastically break its wage structure to accommodate one player, it’s important to remember that said player was our top scorer for both the season prior and last season.

Our almost hypocritical perception of Isak as both one of the best players in the world in his position and also as a player seemingly undeserving a salary boost looks to have been the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Isak’s frustration with slow moving project

In the space of four years, to have gone from a relegation struggle to cup winners and Champions League qualifiers  is something very few would have expected from Newcastle back in late 2021.

But as remarkable as that progress has been, the club has failed to live up to expectations in a number of key areas, particularly in the eyes of both the fans and the players.

Hope adds that Isak was one of many players unsatisfied with the club’s perceived lack of ambition and drive to improve in terms of squad development and available facilities.