Alexander Isak is adamant he will never represent Newcastle again as the Sweden international pushes for a big-money move away from St James’ Park, but what happened to the last four players who refused to play for the club?
On Tuesday night, Alexander Isak publicly hit out at Newcastle United, accusing the club of breaking promises after rejecting Liverpool’s £110 million bid for him this summer.
The 25-year-old striker, who remains under contract until 2028, said his stance has been clear for some time. “For the club to act as though these issues are new is misleading,” Isak declared. “When promises are broken and trust is lost, the relationship cannot continue.”
Newcastle swiftly issued a statement expressing their “disappointment” at the Swede’s comments and firmly denied that any assurances had ever been made allowing him to leave.
Despite that, Isak is reportedly determined never to play for the Magpies again. According to The Athletic, the forward considers his Newcastle career over and has no intention of rejoining the squad — even if he remains at St. James’ Park beyond the transfer deadline.
🟢 George Eastham (1959–60)
- Refusal: Asked for a transfer but Newcastle denied it. He went on strike and briefly left football altogether.
- Outcome: Transferred to Arsenal in 1960, but also sued Newcastle.
- Impact: Won his case in the High Court (1963), which changed football forever by striking down the old retain-and-transfer system.
🟢 Craig Bellamy (2005)
- Refusal: According to then-manager Graeme Souness, Bellamy refused to play despite being fit.
- Outcome: Immediately shown the door — sold to Blackburn Rovers.
- Impact: His reputation took a hit at the time, but he rebuilt his career and later had spells at Liverpool, West Ham, and Manchester City.
🟢 Charles N’Zogbia (2009)
- Refusal: Declared he would never play again after manager Joe Kinnear mocked his name (“Insomnia”).
- Outcome: Within weeks, moved to Wigan Athletic in a swap deal with Ryan Taylor.
- Impact: Revived his career at Wigan, even helping them secure Premier League survival.
🟢 Yohan Cabaye (2013)
- Refusal: Sat out matches against Man City and West Ham when Newcastle blocked a transfer to Arsenal.
- Outcome: Apologised to fans, reintegrated into the squad, and played well. Eventually sold to PSG in January 2014 for £19m.
- Impact: His strike damaged relations temporarily but didn’t derail his career — he got his “dream move” just a few months later.
📌 Common theme:
At Newcastle, refusing to play has almost always led to one of two outcomes:
- Quick sale (Bellamy, N’Zogbia, Cabaye a few months later).
- Long-term precedent (Eastham, who literally changed the sport).
So if Alexander Isak follows through and refuses to play again, history suggests he’ll be sold rather than frozen out long-term, especially in today’s era where clubs rarely keep unhappy players for long.
