'Sack him on the spot' - Alan Shearer's foul-mouthed rant over Alexander Isak 'mess'

Alan Shearer has told Alexander Isak to "sack his agent on the spot" for giving him "bad advice". The 25-year-old striker has been at the heart of a toxic transfer saga this summer as he looks to leave Newcastle and join reigning Premier League champions Liverpool.

The Sweden international has made it very clear that he does not wish to play at St. James' Park this season, leading to his exclusion from the team's first Premier League match of the season against Aston Villa, which ended in a goalless draw. Newcastle turned down a £110million offer from Liverpool earlier this month. And as it stands, they are sticking to their guns, refusing to consider any bids below their £150m valuation of the player, who is contracted until 2028.

Isak signed a six-year contract with Newcastle upon joining the club in 2022, without a release clause inserted. On Tuesday night, he finally spoke out about the situation, claiming that promises have been broken and trust has been lost between him and the club.

That suggests the forward believed he had some sort of guarantee - either a lucrative new contract or permission to leave for a lower fee. However, Newcastle legend Shearer thinks Isak was naive to rely on a supposed 'gentleman's agreement', before calling out his agent, Vlado Lemic, for failing to include a release clause in his initial contract.

A clearly frustrated Shearer told Betfair: "I mean, oh my God, what a f***ing mess his agent has made of this, honestly. If I was him [Isak], I'd get his agent in a room and sack him on the spot immediately, because he is meant to be giving him the advice to sign that sixyear deal and there's no getout clause.

"I mean, it's ridiculous. And to take anyone's word in football... it's nonsensical to say that someone said, 'Oh, I'll be able to get out at the end of the season.' Really? I mean, come on."

Reports suggest the Newcastle star was promised a bumper new deal by Amanda Staveley, though she and her husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi sold their shares in the club to the Saudi Public Investment Fund in July 2024.

It is reported that Paul Mitchell, who later joined as the club's sporting director, immediately cancelled talks with the player, believing the three years left on his contract meant he didn't need a new one.

Shearer has now urged Isak to reveal precisely what assurances were given to him to clear up the confusion. But rather than pointing the finger at Isak, the former England captain doubled down in slamming the player's representative.

Shearer continued: "Newcastle have also released a statement saying that promises were not broken, or promises were never made. I've always said there are two sides to every story, but my feelings are exactly the same: he's gone about it in the wrong way.

"I get that he might want to join a huge football club in Liverpool. I understand that, and I understand that they're regularly going to be competing for trophies. But we also need to know, who promised him? What did they promise him? When did they promise him, if that is the case? Newcastle have totally denied that.

"I'd also ask the question, who's advising him? He signed his sixyear contract without a release clause in it. That is his doing, that is his agent's doing. Now, if they foresaw someone trying to get out early, then before they signed that they were in a really strong position. They should have had a getout clause in it. That would be my take on it.

"Everything sort of boils down to: I think he's being given bad advice and the way he's going about it is wrong, I really do."