Arne Slot shows sympathy for Howe but Isak pursuit is strictly business

Arne Slot has said the sympathy he feels for Eddie Howe over the Alexander Isak affair is limited by the fact the Liverpool transfer target is not the only talented forward available to the Newcastle manager. Slot revealed Howe is the one Premier League manager he has texted during his Liverpool reign and believes the 47-year-old will eventually coach England. Friendly overtures, however, may not be reciprocated when Liverpool visit St James’ Park on Monday evening.

Isak will be conspicuous by his absence from Newcastle’s first home game of the season, having in effect downed tools in an attempt to force a British record transfer to Liverpool. The Premier League champions have contributed to a trying summer for Newcastle, turning Isak’s head while also signing his potential replacement, Hugo Ekitiké. Their £110m offer for the Sweden international remains on Newcastle’s table.

Slot expects an “intense” night at St James’ and, although Liverpool’s pursuit of Isak is strictly business, he recognises the effect a player going on strike will have had on his opposite number. “In general I have sympathy for Eddie Howe because he is a great human being,” said the Dutchman. “It’s maybe not a coincidence that I’ve texted with him because I think he’s a very nice, honest and polite colleague.

“For the rest, I don’t need to have sympathy for a manager that can still have the availability of Gordon, Murphy, Elanga, Barnes … You don’t need to have sympathy for a manager who has so many good players in his squad. But, in general, I like him and I don’t think it will be a surprise to anyone if eventually he is going to lead the national team of England.”

Slot and Howe exchanged messages after the Carabao Cup final in March, when Isak scored the decisive second goal to secure Newcastle’s first domestic trophy for 70 years at Liverpool’s expense. “The only [Premier League] manager I’ve ever texted with was Eddie Howe,” said Slot. “In Holland I texted with a few more. I don’t think it is good for me to say what he texted me or what I texted him.

“They fully deserved to win the League Cup final. I didn’t text him something different. If I see him [on Monday] I will be the same as I was last season and I expect nothing different from him as well.”

Relations may have been strained between Howe and key figures at Anfield by the transfer saga. Richard Hughes, the Liverpool sporting director who submitted the bid for Isak, has been close friends with Howe since they shared a flat during their playing days at Bournemouth. Howe has been friends with Michael Edwards, chief executive of football at Fenway Sports Group, Liverpool’s owner, since they played for Portsmouth in the early 2000s. Edwards worked for Portsmouth at the time as a Prozone analyst.

Slot, returning to the theme of Howe’s predicament, said: “Do you feel sympathy? To a certain extent because I like him as a manager and as a person. It’s not like we are friends and we are going to go on holiday together. You are asking me these questions because of Isak, of course. I added to that by saying we exchanged messages, the only manager I’ve exchanged messages with in the Premier League until now. I do speak to other managers after games. Maybe there’s a reason for that because my sports director has his number. Maybe he doesn’t have all the numbers of all the other managers.”

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View image in fullscreen Eddie Howe will be without Liverpool transfer target Alexander Isak for Monday night’s game against the Premier League champions. Photograph: John Walton/PA

What Slot does know is that when he looked at Liverpool’s bench after Bournemouth made it 2-2 at Anfield in the Premier League’s opening game, his only striking options were Federico Chiesa and 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha. Chiesa delivered in the opening Premier League fixture with an 88th-minute winner, but purely in terms of numbers compared with last season Liverpool’s need for another forward option is clear after the sales of Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez, and the death of Diogo Jota.

“It depends how you want to look at it,” said Slot. “If you see Florian Wirtz as an attacking option as well, you can make it five [forwards available]. Yes we’ve sold Darwin, we’ve brought in Hugo, Luis is gone, but maybe you can see Florian as his replacement. Then you have Jeremie Frimpong who, when he is fit, is definitely an option to play as a winger as well. So then we end up at six. We have six players who can play in three positions.

“I would consider Florian in more games for that position. There were games last season – [Manchester] City away and Villa away – where we did play with an extra midfielder, I think Curtis Jones. It depends not only on being an extra midfielder, but also the tactics and how the opposition line up.” And how the transfer saga of the summer pans out over the next few days.

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