Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has admitted his relationship with Alexander Isak became “difficult” after he went on strike in an attempt to force through his move to Liverpool.

The 25-year-old Sweden international missed the club’s preseason tour to Singapore and South Korea and was left training by himself on the squad’s return before eventually getting his wish with a deadline day move to Anfield which netted the Magpies £130 million ($176m).

Asked about his relationship with the man he signed from Real Sociedad for £63m during the summer of 2022, head coach Howe said: “Alex and I always enjoyed a great relationship. I loved working with him and I hope he loved working with us.

“It was mutually beneficial. We helped him become the player that he in part is today, and he helped us as a team achieve some unbelievable milestones. He was part of a very successful team.

“But to give you a bit more on that, the moment he went on strike, our relationship did change. I think that was probably a turning point in our relationship. Communication became difficult from that point onwards. I won’t go into any more detail than that.”

Isak’s departure prompted Newcastle to invest £69m in Stuttgart‘s Nick Woltemade and Brentford‘s Yoane Wissa, who joined in a £55m move, and the former could make his debut against Wolves on Saturday.

However, Wissa will not be involved after returning from international duty with DR Congo with a knee injury which could also rule him out of Thursday night’s Champions League opener against Barcelona.

Asked if the 29-year-old would be available for the Premier League fixture, Howe said: “Unfortunately not, no, so he won’t make this game.

“I saw him for the first time yesterday, he’s feeling the effects of the injury he sustained just before he came off, so we’re going to have to see how he is.”

Asked further about the severity of Wissa’s problem, Howe added: “I don’t know currently as I sit here. I think he’ll go away for tests and maybe see a specialist to see.”

Woltemade could get his first taste of St James’ Park on Saturday, and Howe has called for patience as the 23-year-old Germany international attempts to plug a sizeable gap.

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Howe said: “I think it would have been impossible to have replaced Alex like-for-like. There’s no other player like Alex, he was totally unique. He had his qualities and I think it’s important we don’t compare whoever we bring in to Alex, because I think that’s very difficult to do.

“I think each player that comes in is an individual in their own right and has their own strengths and weaknesses. There will be a process where we have to mould ourselves to them, and vice-versa.”

Wissa’s absence, coupled with that of fellow summer arrival Jacob Ramsey, who will be sidelined until after the October international break with an ankle injury, represents a significant blow to Howe, who is already without the suspended Anthony Gordon.

Former NFL punter Chris Kluwe made controversial comments on BlueSky this week following the assassination of Charlie Kirk. 

Kluwe, who was fired from his job as a high school football coach earlier this year after calling the MAGA movement a “Nazi” movement, sent an expletive-ridden post praising Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., for dismissing the idea that Democrat rhetoric led to the assassination. 

“F—ing finally. Fight back against the bulls— framing that tries to make Dems responsible for everything. The GOP is choosing to create this kind of societal environment. They could stop it at any time. They have agency as well. They’re not f—ing children (except when, well, you know),” Kluwe wrote. 

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Kluwe sent an earlier post suggesting Kirk created “the kind of society he currently lives in.”

“It is possible to hold both of these things true at the same time: 1) political violence is never an appropriate choice in a civilized society 2) Charlie Kirk’s dream is to create exactly the kind of society he currently lives in, as spoken from his own mouth,” Kluwe wrote. 

Shortly after the shooting occurred, Kluwe sent a post seemingly mocking Kirk for getting shot. 

Over a news article reporting Kirk had been shot, Kluwe wrote the caption, “ ‘Hahaha yes! This rules!’ ‘what the f— .’”

Kluwe is currently running for California state assembly after his firing from coaching. 

Back in February, Kluwe said he was fired from his job as a California high school football coach after a speech at a city council meeting in which he called MAGA a “Nazi movement.” 

“Just got fired from being a freshman football coach, if you want to know what MAGA does to communities,” Kluwe wrote on BlueSky. “They don’t care about what helps people, because the school is certainly not going to find an ex-NFL player willing to coach there at that level, they only care about trying to hurt people.”

Kluwe later told CNN the school fired him because the incident was “getting too much attention.” 

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Kluwe was arrested at a Huntington Beach City Council meeting that month when he was protesting Huntington Beach’s decision to display a plaque at a public library. The plaque used the words magical, alluring, galvanizing and adventurous, and their initials spelled MAGA.

A video from the meeting showed Kluwe criticizing the MAGA movement, calling it “a Nazi movement” and saying he would engage in civil disobedience. Kluwe later went to the front of the meeting, and police handcuffed him and led him out.

Days later, Kluwe made an appearance on CNN, and he did not back down from his stance.

“I believe we’re on the path that Nazi Germany went down under Hitler,” he said. “And I say that as a political science and history major, as someone who has studied history. And the parallels are very, very clear.” 

Kluwe took issue with the Trump administration’s stance on transgender athletes competing in girls’ and women’s sports, among other issues. 

Ex-NFL punter Chris Kluwe protests during Huntington Beach City Council meeting in California. (City of Huntington Beach)

“This administration is trying to put obedience over duty to the country. This administration is trying to thrust our country into turmoil in order to reap power for themselves. And I think regardless of political affiliation, all of us as Americans should be able to agree — no kings, no tyrants, not now, not ever,” Kluwe said.

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Kluwe punted for the Minnesota Vikings from 2005-12. 

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