Inside Newcastle Q&A: Isak contract rumour, Mitchell’s target strategy and summer departures

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Once a week (mostly) for an hour during the Premier League season, The Athletic’s Newcastle United subscribers can ask our writers covering the club for views and insight into what’s happening at St James’ Park — and this one was the first since the Carabao Cup final victory at Wembley.

Here, we have pulled together some of their questions and our answers from Monday’s edition of our Inside Newcastle live Q&A, which included queries about rumours surrounding Alexander Isak’s contract, the value of player the club will look to target this summer and whether a formal announcement on the stadium plans is forthcoming.

Want to ask us anything Newcastle-related? Chris Waugh will be back on Monday, April 14, at 2pm BST (9am EST), given that Newcastle take on Leicester City away next Monday.

With Paul Mitchell having built his reputation by looking for value in the market, will we be looking for a lower price range of target? Basically ruling out buying players from other Premier League clubs? — Jenny C

Waugh: Although definitive targets are yet to be identified and budgets outlined, it seems likely there will be a blended approach. Potentially, one or two arrivals from Premier League clubs in the “established” bracket, plus additions from across Europe and potentially beyond.

Partly, that is due to finance. Despite being in a far healthier position regarding the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR) heading into this summer relative to a year ago, Newcastle are still hindered by those rules.

Given the volume of business they hope to conclude — a right-sided centre-back, a right-sided forward, a striker and a goalkeeper is the minimum they require, though a greater number of positions will be probably be strengthened — they are highly unlikely to have the capacity to recruit multiple Premier League players, given how relatively expensive they are compared to European-based recruits.

Mitchell may seek some established Premier League players (Serena Taylor/Newcastle United/Getty Images)

Mitchell, the sporting director, is also keen to reduce the age of the squad in certain areas — at centre-back, for example, only Sven Botman is below 30 — and he has a proven track record of signing younger players with sell-on potential. Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis are examples of the profile of player he is looking to acquire, with plenty of background work put into securing the former in particular, though Manchester City moved in January when Newcastle felt they could not sign the pair.

Mitchell and head coach Eddie Howe will have to work collaboratively — a word they have both repeated publicly — but which will be tested during the height of the summer window. Howe is likely to want at least some ‘plug-in-and-play’ signings — those he can immediately slot into the team — to complement any ‘project players’, and that is why a mixture of both appears likely (and healthy, given Newcastle require greater depth in both regards).

Any further updates from the Matfen Hall summit in February? Suggestions that being No 1 was the reiterated target — Thomas W

Waugh: The message from Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the chairman and governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), was very much that the grand ambition outlined when the takeover happened in October 2021 and which was reiterated on the We Are Newcastle United documentary on Amazon Prime remains undiminished. The ownership’s desire is to be “No 1”, even if there is an acceptance that because of PSR and how far behind the elite they are infrastructure-wise, that could take several years.

Making Newcastle a “sustainable top-six club” was the soundbite from club executives throughout 2024. So far this calendar year, the noises have become bolder and more aspirational. One trophy was never the plan; domestic and European domination was the original goal — and that target is back on the agenda.

And that is no coincidence. When the PIF delegation visited Tyneside in February, departmental and infrastructure-project presentations were made to Al-Rumayyan, who reaffirmed the wealth fund’s commitment to turning the club into serial trophy winners and Champions League participants by the end of the decade.

Progress will not be linear, with the outstanding stadium decision and training-ground relocation needing to be resolved, but this ownership group is not content with a solitary Carabao Cup.

Is there any truth in the rumour that Isak has rejected a contract offer? — Jack C

Waugh: Not that I am aware of. The message back on that front is that nothing has changed. Contract talks will take place towards the end of the season, if not post-season, once Newcastle have discovered whether they will be playing Champions League football in 2025-26.

There is no immediate rush at Newcastle’s end. While they ideally want to tie Isak down to an extended deal on improved terms, given that increases the likelihood of keeping him longer term, the striker will still have three years remaining on his contract come the summer and is among their highest earners.

The club insist they are in a strong position to rebuff interest, too. There is still around £30million ($38.8m) of amortisation costs regarding Isak, plus Real Sociedad inserted a sell-on clause in his deal, so Newcastle would need an astronomical offer to even contemplate selling the striker — beyond the fact he is world-class and borderline priceless to them from a footballing perspective.

Unfortunately, the noise surrounding Isak and the constant speculation will not die down, as frustrating as many Newcastle fans find it. The world’s elite clubs admire and covet Isak because he is a top-quality striker, which is a scarce commodity.

Newcastle, however, are determined to try and prolong his St James’ Park stay.

Will Newcastle look for value at relegated teams? Liam Delap at Ipswich Town, Tyler Dibling at Southampton, etc. — Blazej I

Waugh: Newcastle will definitely be looking for value wherever they can — as obvious as that sounds — and, as well as potentially looking to capitalise on any clubs facing PSR pressures before the June 30 deadline (in the way Brighton & Hove Albion and Nottingham Forest did with them last year), they may test the resolve of relegated sides.

Ipswich and England Under-21 striker Delap will be in demand this summer (Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

Delap is admired and would be an ideal addition, able to complement Isak and potentially play alongside him, while he could also be rotated with the Sweden international, especially if Newcastle are in a lower-tier European competition. But Delap has plenty of suitors and so Ipswich will probably be able to demand a good price, even if they do go down.

Dibling is similarly sought-after and so it seems unlikely Southampton will sell him on the cheap — an eyewatering £100m price-tag has been reported — and so I would be surprised if Newcastle entered into a bidding war for the teenager.

In many cases, there is still probably better value in signing players from Europe, even if there is an additional risk due to a lack of Premier League experience.

Two years ago, it felt like players and fans expended a lot of emotion and energy in the build-up (to the Carabao Cup final), which ultimately cost us. Do you think there is a danger of the opposite happening this time and being unable to get back to business after the last couple of weeks? — Daniel C

Waugh: That is a very interesting observation. My opinion had been that the emotional-exertion point regarding the 2023 Carabao Cup final had been overblown, but multiple players and Howe have stressed how energy-sapping it was, so I’ve had to revise that somewhat.

Going into this year’s final, Newcastle channeled that fervour far better and struck the perfect balance. Since the cup victory, there has been an immense outpouring of passion, at Wembley and then on Tyneside during the weekend’s celebrations, and it is difficult to see how that can immediately be cast aside.

There is no doubt the League Cup victory will have taken a lot out of the squad and they are unlikely to be able to reach anything close to those emotional heights for the remainder of the campaign.

That does not mean, however, that they cannot refocus and target Champions League qualification. Sandro Tonali, Isak and Bruno Guimaraes believe they should be playing at that level, so they are unlikely to relent in their pursuit of a top-five place. For Howe, allowing his players to drop off and essentially write off the final 10 games is also unthinkable; that is simply not how he operates.

Such an intention does not necessarily always work out in practice, mind. There will be a mental cost from the success of the past fortnight, but I believe Newcastle still have enough to recover from it and finish strongly.

Who, out of the remaining out-of-contract players, do you think Newcastle will keep and release? — Stephen L

Any updates on the five players getting close to their contracts expiring at the end of the season? — Kevin M

Waugh: There are six players whose contracts expire this summer, if Jamal Lewis is included, with the left-back certain to be released.

Of the remaining five, Fabian Schar is set to stay. The 33-year-old’s new deal has not been announced yet, but progress has been made and the expectation is that the Switzerland international will be on Tyneside next season. A right-sided centre-back is a priority this summer, so Schar’s game-time may decrease, but he is still likely to be a member of Howe’s squad.

Jamaal Lascelles is club captain and was given the honour of lifting the League Cup at Wembley and on the Town Moor, despite not playing a single minute this season due to injury, and there is a decent chance the 31-year-old will depart. That is not guaranteed, with Newcastle potentially viewing his significant off-field influence as a reason to keep him, but if at least one centre-half is signed, then Lascelles is unlikely to play much.

With Callum Wilson, Newcastle have the ability to unilaterally enact a 12-month extension in his contract until June. But, aged 33 and having only started two games in all competitions this season due to injury, the business case to do so appears weak. He is among the top earners and Newcastle are seeking a striker this summer to compete with Isak and Will Osula. Wilson could yet prove he warrants a new deal between now and the end of the season, but, as things stand, it is looking more likely now that he will leave rather than stay.

Callum Wilson will be out of contract in the summer (Stu Forster/Getty Images)

John Ruddy and Mark Gillespie, the goalkeepers, are the other players whose deals expire and their futures will be influenced by Newcastle’s business. If Martin Dubravka leaves, then the likelihood of both staying increases, even if a goalkeeper is wanted, with Burnley’s James Trafford a long-term target.

Are we getting any closer to a formal stadium announcement? — Duncan I

Waugh: The club said in the autumn the project would move into the “decision stage” in “early 2025” and the suggestion from well-placed sources had been, ideally, that would take place during the first quarter of 2025.

Evidently, that has not happened, or at least it has not been communicated publicly, though club insiders insist no firm call has been made. While there is a strong preference from some key figures for building a new state-of-the-art stadium — likely on Leazes Park, which is adjacent to the current site — sources are adamant they have not ruled out staying at an expanded and modernised St James’.

Videos proposing what a new stadium may potentially look like and information on what would be involved in relocating have been shared internally — Al-Rumayyan was shown presentations during his Tyneside visit — but no firm commitment has been made. How the project will be financed is yet to be determined too.

Constant speculation is unfair on supporters and is not helping the club, either, so hopefully a decision can be communicated within the next few months. Then supporters would have the opportunity to fully form their own views regarding whether Newcastle should stay or move.

(Top photo: Alexander Isak during the cup parade; by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)

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