Alexander Isak was still technically a Newcastle United player. This was a night when one Geordie turned up in a Newcastle replica shirt which, at first glance, looked like any other. Isak went on to complete a British record £125m switch to Liverpool just a few days later. Isak will be absent once again - after breaking his leg last month - and Howe insisted he has long since "moved on". "It was the most talked about thing in world football in that moment so, ideally, we would not have that every summer."

Source: BBC January 30, 2026 18:11 UTC