Isak is convinced that he will never play for Newcastle again.
Alexander Isak has stated unequivocally that he would never play for Newcastle again, as the Sweden international seeks a lucrative move away from St James’ Park, but what happened to the club’s past four players who refused to play?
On Tuesday night, a disgruntled Isak accused Newcastle of violating commitments and said that “trust is lost” after the club turned down a £110 million deal from Liverpool this summer.
The 25-year-old, who is under contract until 2028, claimed Newcastle had known about his situation for a long time. “To now act as if these issues are only emerging is misleading,” she said. “When promises are broken and trust is lost, the relationship can’t continue.”
Newcastle quickly responded, stating that they were “disappointed” with Isak and denying that any club official had told the striker he could go.
However, the Swede is sure that he will never play for the Magpies again, according to The Athletic. Isak believes his career at the Premier League club is over and has no desire to reintegrate into the squad, even if he stays beyond the summer window.
So, who else declined to play for Newcastle? And what happened after they expressed their feelings clearly?
George Eastham
In 1959, Eastham wanted a transfer from Newcastle, but the club declined his request, prohibiting him from playing elsewhere. He briefly left football and appealed to the Football League, but no settlement was achieved.
He eventually transferred from Newcastle to Arsenal in 1960, but Eastham took legal action.
Three years later, in 1963, the High Court decided in Eastham’s favor, calling the retain-and-transfer system a “restraint of trade.” The judgment constituted a watershed moment in professional football, granting players more independence and changing their relationship with teams.
Craig Bellamy
Former Newcastle manager Graeme Souness said he traded Bellamy because he refused to play for the club when he was healthy, but the Welshman has subsequently denied such claims.
When asked if he kicked Bellamy out, Souness told talkSPORT: “He refused to play when he was healthy. He was a young man who was always talking about rising to the next level and improving himself; in that sense, he was a genuine, real-deal player.
“He chose not to play one day, I went and took him to the chairman immediately, and I said, ‘Look, we’ve got a player who says he’s not willing to play and he’s fit, ‘ and I asked him to repeat it in front of Freddy Shepherd and he did so.”
Souness went further: “It was a joint decision from the board and me that he should leave the football club.”
Charles N’Zogbia
N’Zogbia pledged never to play for Newcastle again in protest at manager Joe Kinnear’s persistent mispronunciation of his surname during an interview. Kinnear referred to the player as “Insomnia” in January 2009, causing an argument between the two.
A few weeks later, N’Zogbia joined Wigan Athletic for £6 million, with Ryan Taylor heading the other way.
The Frenchman admitted he was “very unhappy” with Kinnear and stated, “The best thing for me was to walk on. I didn’t want to play under that manager longer. I know everything about Wigan having played here – and lost – for Newcastle, and it is a fantastic young club headed in the right path.”
Yohan Cabaye
Back in 2013. Cabaye declined to play for Newcastle in the intention of joining Arsenal or Paris Saint-Germain.
He missed games against Manchester City and West Ham at the start of the 2013/24 season, shortly after Newcastle rejected Arsenal’s £10.2 million bid for the midfielder.
After being disciplined by the club, Cabaye apologized to fans for refusing to play. “If the fans were, or still are, mad at me for what happened, then I understand and I apologise to them,” Cabaye told the press. “I want to come back from what has happened.”
The French midfielder would play for Newcastle again, but in January 2014, he joined PSG for £19 million.
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