Alexander Isak is set to return to St James’ Park on Sunday as Liverpool faces Newcastle in a Premier League fixture. This marks his first visit back to his former club since his departure for Merseyside last summer.
Isak’s move to Liverpool followed a period where he reportedly sought to force his exit from Newcastle. His departure, which occurred after Newcastle’s 3-2 loss to Liverpool on August 25 last year, left the team’s dressing room divided, with some sympathetic to his decision and others, like Bruno Guimarães, expressing outrage. By September 1, Isak had joined Liverpool.
Changes at St James’ Park
Since Isak’s departure, significant changes have occurred at Newcastle. Eddie Howe has been replaced by Matthias Jaissle as head coach. Jaissle, 38, arrived from Al-Ahli at the start of the month and has overseen four of Newcastle’s six pre-season friendlies, including matches against Bayer Leverkusen and RC Strasbourg.
The club has also seen several player movements. Dan Burn has been named the new Magpies captain after Bruno Guimarães moved to Arsenal. Other notable departures include Anthony Gordon to Barcelona, Matt Targett to Hull City, Sandro Tonali to Tottenham Hotspur, and Kieran Trippier to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
New arrivals at Newcastle include goalkeepers Ewen Jaouen and Lukas Hornicek, attacker Bazoumana Toure from Hoffenheim, and right-back Amar Dedic from Benfica. Midfield reinforcements include Sean Steur from AFC Ajax and Aladji Bamba from AS Monaco.
Isak’s Legacy and Return
Despite scoring 54 goals in 86 Premier League appearances for Newcastle, including a decisive goal in their 2025 Carabao Cup final triumph against Liverpool at Wembley, Isak’s standing with the home crowd is expected to be challenging. His actions last summer, including an Instagram message accusing Newcastle of breaking pledges to sell him, contributed to a strained relationship.
On August 19 last year, Isak reportedly upstaged Mohamed Salah at the Professional Football Association awards by posting his message. Conciliation talks involving senior figures from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) at Isak’s home in Darras Hall on August 25 did not result in a rapprochement.
Newcastle subsequently signed Germany forward Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart for £69m. Hugo Ekitiké also moved to Liverpool for £69m from Eintracht Frankfurt. Newcastle reinvested £55m of the Isak money on Yoane Wissa from Brentford.
Match Preparations and Team News
For the upcoming match, Newcastle will be without Joelinton and Tino Livramento, who have been ruled out. The readiness of Burn and Lewis Miley, who made their first pre-season appearances last weekend, for a full 90 minutes will be assessed.
Jaissle expressed his anticipation for the match, stating it would be an amazing privilege to coach Newcastle against a top team in the league. He hopes to see development and improvement in the team’s play and togetherness, especially given the current transition.
In previous encounters, Rio Ngumoha became Liverpool’s youngest ever scorer by netting a 100th-minute winner in this fixture last season. Ryan Gravenberch and Hugo Ekitike had put Liverpool 2-0 up in that match. When the sides met at Anfield in early 2026, Newcastle took a lead before losing 4-1, with Ekitike scoring twice for Liverpool.
The 4.30pm BST kick-off on Sunday will mark a significant moment for Isak and both clubs.
Source: theguardian.com