Soccer
Andy Cole hits out at Alexander Isak's behaviour in transfer saga with Newcastle
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The future of Alexander Isak has been the talk of this summer's transfer window, and with less than two weeks before the window closes, the striker's situation is yet to be resolved.
Isak has made clear his desire to leave Newcastle throughout the window, and after the club rejected a £110 million bid from Liverpool earlier this month, the forward has been absent from the first-team squad.
This week, he released a statement accusing the Magpies of falling back on promises, making his position at the club almost untenable as Newcastle await a second bid from Anfield that matches their £150 million valuation.
It's a stalemate that right now shows no sign of being settled, but as someone who played for both clubs, Andy Cole doesn't believe the Swedish star has handled the situation in the best manner.
Speaking exclusively to DAZN News, thanks to EsportsInsider.com, the former frontman says there's no way he'd have acted in the same way Isak has if he had found himself in a similar position during his playing days.
He said, "If I'm in his position, if a club came in for me and wants to buy me, there’s no way I’m not going to play for my respective club.
"If you look at Eberechi Eze, that's the way you do it, you get pitched, you play, you perform and everyone's happy. If the deal gets done, you move on and go about your business.
"Just be professional about it. Just be professional, turn up, play, keep doing what you're doing, and if the opportunity comes and the deal goes through, you can turn around and say, ‘thank you very much, I've enjoyed my time here."
Cole has also been casting an eye over another of his former clubs, Manchester United, and their transfer activity over the summer.
The Red Devils have invested heavily in a new frontline and as someone who's experienced the pressure of playing in that position for the club, Cole is ideally placed to comment on the signings of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko, and he's excited about the prospect of the trio.
"I’m looking forward to watching them all play, just to see how they all get on," Cole added.
"Because playing for Manchester United is not easy at the best of times. You don't get any weekends off. Playing for Wolves or Brentford, you might get the weekend off sometimes. But at Manchester United, it doesn’t happen. Man Utd have to get somewhere. They can't afford to lose football matches.
"Everyone still wants to beat Man United. So I'm looking forward to seeing how they all get on and how they gel together.
"They need to create chances and score goals because they’ve been held up in the past few seasons. That's what Man Utd have been lacking. And I’d like to think that Mbuemo and Cunha can create chances, as well as score goals.
"I'm looking forward to really watching how those two get on and how they create chances for Sesko when he does eventually get in the team."
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