'I said I wouldn't force move from Newcastle – when Liverpool came in my mind was made up'

One player who might sympathise with Alexander Isak's efforts to secure a move from Newcastle to Liverpool is Anfield icon Georginio Wijnaldum. Isak has been at the centre of relentless transfer speculation this summer, with the Reds thought to be leading the chase for his services should he depart the Tyneside outfit.

But his potential move is proving difficult to pull off despite the striker making Newcastle aware of his wish to leave, with a £110million offer from Liverpool earlier this month being turned down. The transfer saga has become increasingly messy, with relations between club and player souring as Eddie Howe excluded Isak from the team's pre-season matches and the Swede trains by himself.

Isak did not feature in Newcastle's Premier League curtain-raiser against Aston Villa, where chants from his own fans branded him as "greedy". On Tuesday, the 25-year-old issued a stunning statement in which he suggested he might not play for Newcastle again, claiming "promises have been broken" and "trust has been lost".

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Among the various players to have moved from St James' Park to Anfield previously is Wijnaldum, who the Magpies supporters once also implored to stay. The Dutch midfielder, currently at Al-Ettifaq, was snapped up by the Reds for £25m after Newcastle's relegation in 2016.

He became instrumental in Liverpool's triumphs in the following seasons as Liverpool lifted the Premier League and Champions League - trophies Isak undoubtedly hopes to win too. Unsurprisingly, Wijnaldum had no regrets over joining Jurgen Klopp’s side, but remained grateful for the role Newcastle played in his development and insisted he did not force a move away.

Speaking to the Liverpool Echo before his 2017 return to face his former club, Wijnaldum said: “I remember my last game for Newcastle in the pre-season when their fans were singing that they wanted me to stay.

"But when the opportunity came to play for a great club like Liverpool with such a great history I had to take it. I hope they understand why I made that choice to go to Liverpool.

“When the previous season at Newcastle ended, I said publicly that I wouldn’t force a move. When Liverpool came in for me I made up my mind that I wanted to come here, but I wasn’t going to force it because I appreciated what Newcastle and their fans did for me.”

He continued: “It’s always a special game when you play against your previous club. It was only one year at Newcastle but that time there meant a lot to me. I met some great people who helped me to play good games in the Premier League and it was because of them I got the move to Liverpool.”

Despite his positive comments about his year-long spell on Tyneside and claiming he had not agitated for a transfer, unlike Isak who is deemed to have done so, the 34-year-old was accused of lacking fight and commitment before jumping ship by the Newcastle fans.

Isak, in comparison, has made a significant impact in his three-year stint with Newcastle, emerging as one of the Premier League's top players and scoring a goal in the Carabao Cup final to break their long-standing trophy drought.

In his first match back on Tyneside, Wijnaldum hit the post but failed to make an impact in front of a raucous home crowd, who booed him whenever the two clubs clashed in later matches.

Wijnaldum made 237 appearances for Liverpool, netting 22 goals, including a memorable brace against Barcelona in the 2018/19 Champions League semi-final second leg, which inspired Liverpool to a 4–3 aggregate victory.

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