Loyalty is a virtue, but in football, business comes first. Alexander Isak is simply the latest high-profile player to walk the rocky path previously trodden by Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harry Kane and Robin van Persie.
Supporters are the ones who tattoo their bodies with permanent expressions of loyalty and devotion to their team, but don't expect the players to do that. Yet whenever a player is being accused of disloyalty and even treachery for wanting to move elsewhere, don't forget that there is a flipside to it all.
Just ask Manchester United's Rasmus Højlund, Crystal Palace captain Marc Guéhi or Chelsea outcast Raheem Sterling about the other side of football loyalty, when it is the club that attempts to sever a relationship on their terms for financial gain. It works both ways.
Isak, who has not kicked a ball for Newcastle United this summer due to his determination to force a move to Liverpool, has been labelled "Judas" by some of his club's supporters, called a "Pure Rat" on one banner held up outside the club's training ground and subjected to chants of "greedy bastard" in his absence during Saturday's 0-0 draw at Aston Villa.
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Alexander-Arnold had similar treatment at Liverpool last season as he ran down his contract before sealing a move to Real Madrid -- his No. 66 shirt was shown being burned on more than one occasion, and fans booed him on his first appearance after his exit was confirmed, while even Tottenham icon Kane was taunted by Spurs fans during his failed attempt to leave for Manchester City in 2021. As for Van Persie, Arsenal fans still haven't forgiven their former captain for successfully pushing for a move to Manchester United in 2012 because he wanted to win major trophies -- something he did immediately at Old Trafford by scoring the goals to deliver the Premier League title 12 months later.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe and the club's supporters are right to feel let down by Isak. After all, the Sweden international does have three years remaining on the contract he signed when he arrived at St James' Park in a club-record £63 million transfer from Real Sociedad in 2022.
But it is also naïve to believe that a contract ensures total loyalty to a club. If that were the case, Brentford's Yoane Wissa would not be pushing for a move to Newcastle, probably to replace Isak, with a year still to run on his deal with the Bees.
Isak's goals have helped the club qualify for the UEFA Champions League on two occasions, and he also played a pivotal role in the team's first domestic trophy win in 70 years by scoring in the Carabao Cup final win against Liverpool in March. So the 25-year-old could argue that he has more than repaid his transfer fee and delivered what was expected of him.
But despite his success, he has not been rewarded with a lucrative new contract and has watched the club fail to significantly bolster Howe's squad in this and other recent transfer windows. Isak has elevated himself to another level in a Newcastle shirt, but the club has failed to keep pace with him. Kane and Van Persie experienced the same at Spurs and Arsenal before finally getting their moves away.
Loyalty would mean that Isak stays and helps drag Newcastle to his level, but the club has to rise to the challenge and it hasn't done that. So he is justified in wanting to take his talents elsewhere, even if his tactics in doing so leave a sour taste and do little for his reputation.
But while loyalty doesn't exist in football, there is no shortage of hypocrisy. That is evident whenever a club decides that a player is no longer of use to them.
Gabriele Marcotti and Stewart Robson discuss if Manchester United should move on from Rasmus Højlund after poor recent performances.
Højlund, a £72m signing from Atalanta in 2023, has publicly stated that he wants to stay at Man United and fight for his place. The 22-year-old is a boyhood United supporter and, despite his tough time at Old Trafford, is not ready to give up on playing for his boyhood team.
Yet United want him out to help balance the books, and AC Milan are ready to take him back to Serie A. Højlund is displaying all the loyalty that fans want to see, but from the club's perspective, business comes first.
Palace defender Guéhi is ready to see out the final year of his contract at Selhurst Park, despite interest from Liverpool and Newcastle. The England defender lifted the FA Cup as Eagles captain last season and was a central figure in the team's first-ever major trophy win, but club chairman Steve Parish said earlier this month it "would be a problem for us" if Guéhi left as a free agent. So for Palace, the preference is to offload Guéhi, regardless of the player's desire to stay on for another year.
Sterling is another player being forced out against his wishes at Chelsea. The 30-year-old -- who angered Liverpool fans by pushing for a move to Manchester City in 2015 -- has been told he has no future at Stamford Bridge three years after moving there for an initial £47.5m transfer fee.
Isak might find himself being painted as football's biggest villain this summer, the apparent embodiment of all that is wrong with the modern game, but loyalty cuts both ways in the sport. Supporters deal only in emotion, but for players and clubs, football is a ruthless business. Isak won't be the last player to push for a move, just as there will be many more like Højlund, Guéhi and Sterling who find themselves at the mercy of their club's finances whether they like it or not.
Few players are ever in a strong enough position to make the club dance to their tune, but right now, Isak has that power and he is using it.