Transfer saga rumbles on as Newcastle fanbase looks to weaponise the fall-out ahead of Liverpool visit

ANYONE with a passing interest in Liverpool FC and a ‘For You’ tab on X this week will be forgiven for thinking Arne Slot and his players have a one-way trip booked to the Lions’ Den on Monday night.

- By PAUL GORST

The fanbase of the Magpies are seemingly so outraged by the Premier League champions’ pursuit of Alexander Isak that the first home game of the new season will be more akin to Maximus and his mates being sent out to battle the King of the Jungle, if social media is to be believed.

Taking the temperature of an entire club’s support via the medium of sites like X - formerly Twitter - is always a foolhardy pursuit, but there can be little denying that emotions and, as a result, the atmosphere will be more charged than usual.

The Sweden international’s genuine bombshell, which arrived via his Instagram account on Tuesday night, was exquisitely timed for those who like their transfer sagas to have a dramatic flourish or two along the way.

The PFA’s 24/25 Team of the Year had barely shuffled off stage at the Manchester Opera House, when the man himself, conspicuous only by his absence, caused a ripple effect with his explosive online outburst.

“I've kept quiet for a long time while others have spoken,” he wrote.

“That silence has allowed people to push their own version of events, even though they know it doesn’t reflect what was really said and agreed behind closed doors.