A fresh voice has weighed in on the Alexander Isak transfer saga. Jamaican international Michail Antonio was a forward for West Ham for a decade, so he has a wealth of experience in how business works at the top of the game.
His comments come after Isak has taken drastic measures in his attempt to force through a transfer to Liverpool.
Reports indicate he is adamant that he will never play for Newcastle United again, even if he does not get sold this summer. This is only the latest in a summer of escalations from the player and his camp to try and force the Magpies' hand and weaken their stance.
Antonio Backs Isak
Speaking with Standard Sport at the Community Shield on Sunday, the current free agent striker had lots of thoughts to share on the saga.
""We are meat to them. As soon as we start going stale, it's time to sell or throw away...it's all about money, and how much money can they make [for] the club? If a club is going to think about the money side of things, why shouldn't a player?""Michail Antonio via Standard Sport
It's a somber take on the business side of football that has only become amplified in recent years as clubs try more and more to balance the books, seemingly at the expense of 'loyalty'.
This has seen the one-club men of the past become a rarer and rarer commodity and the players have begun to take their futures into their own hands as well. Liverpool had a firsthand experience with this during the Trent Alexander-Arnold saga all of last season.
Isak has been the talisman and focal point of the Newcastle rise to Champions League participants.
It has been his goals that have led them to this point and he now wants to take a step up both fiscally and sportingly. Liverpool had a bid of £110m for the Swede rejected earlier this summer.
A murky transfer saga
As much as Isak has been pushing for the move and with such vocal support from former players, Newcastle still hold a lot of the cards.
He does have three years remaining on his contract, so they could very well be willing to call his 'never play for Newcastle' bluff over the next three seasons if it came to that.
A fee around £130m is reportedly said to be enough to eventually get a deal across the line, but the relationship between club and player has gotten so sour, who knows what new twist could happen each day?
Antonio still spoke highly of Isak's ambitions in wanting the Liverpool switch.
"Why should the player be loyal to the club? I understand being loyal to fans, but being loyal to a club when he's going to try and better himself and better his life and try and achieve things that he's not going to achieve at another club.""Michail Antonio via Standard Sport
In fairness, Isak did just win silverware with Newcastle and they are indeed in the Champions League this season. However, Liverpool Football Club are a different breed.
The reigning Premier League champions are the most successful club in English history and the expectations for all players are sky high every single week.
Isak wants to be a part of that legacy going forward and is doing everything in his power to make it a reality. It's clear that Antonio is a big supporter of his and would love to see the move come to fruition.