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By YASEEN ZAMAN, SPORTS REPORTER Published: 22: 42 AEST, 16 August 2025 | Updated: 22: 49 AEST, 16 August 2025 2 View comments Newcastle defender Dan Burn has spoken about how Alexander Isak’s ongoing transfer saga with Liverpool is impacting the team’s dressing room. Isak missed the Magpies' Premier League opener at Aston Villa on Saturday and there appears to be no chance of him featuring for Newcastle before the month is out, even though manager Eddie Howe wants him to play. His absence will incur a club fine as he digs his heels in the ground in hope of securing a move to Liverpool. Isak will be a huge miss for Newcastle, having contributed 23 goals and six assists in the Premier League last season, guiding his side to a fifth-place finish. Nevertheless, Burn has insisted that Isak's summer antics has only brought everyone in the dressing room closer. When asked about how he reflected on last season's success - which saw Newcastle end their 56-year trophy drought by beating Liverpool in the EFL Cup final - Burn said: 'Yeah it was [a successful season] but there's been obviously a lot of external noise this year. Dan Burn has insisted that Alexander Isak's transfer saga with Liverpool has brought Newcastle's dressing room closer together Isak has been on strike for the Magpies since last month as he hopes to force a move to Anfield Speaking before kick-off on Saturday, Burn was then asked whether the speculation around Isak's move has brought the team together. He said: 'I think so. I think there's obviously a lot of external noise. We've got quite a tight-knit group and we just get on with it. 'I think we've now been about four or five weeks without Alex [Isak], so for us he's obviously not involved at the moment. 'But we've got players who need to step up and contribute to the goals and we're ready to go. ' Speaking this week, Howe said that Isak is in control of whether he plays for Newcastle again. He said: ‘As I sit here now, I don’t know that [Isak will play again]. Alex will control that. 'Alex's situation has been unchanged for a while and that will continue to be the case, I think. ‘Of course [I want him to play], I've said many times I want him to train and play. I’ve had those conversations with him, but the details of these conversations need to remain private. ’
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