Episode 106 - Why Newcastle should sell Alexander Isak + Xabi Alonso’s biggest problem

On this episode, Patrick and Neel discuss Newcastle rejecting a £120m bid for Alexander Isak from Liverpool. How does this play into where Hugo Ekitike lands, should Newcastle accept that Isak wants to leave, and what should they invest the money from his sale in? Then, Xavi Simons has been linked to many clubs, but which is the best fit for him? And finally we close out the Club World Cup with the biggest problem Xabi Alonso is facing at Real Madrid and how Chelsea was able to take advantage of PSG's midfield. Enjoy! Subscribe to our FREE newsletter: https://www.thetransferflow.com/subscribe Join Variance Betting: https://www.thetransferflow.com/upgrade Follow us on our Socials: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe1WTKOt7byrELQcGRSzu1Q X: https://x.com/TheTransferFlow Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetransferflow.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetransferflow/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@transferflowpodcast Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro and Neel's trip to London 03:17 - Newcastle's Ekitike bid and What it means for Alexander Isak 04:12 - Other moves are complicating this deal 04:27 - Ekitike as a target for Newcastle + Marmoush 05:10 - He thrives in transition heavy sides 06:24 - Ekitike's ball striking + Similarities to Isak 07:10 - The main differences between the 2 08:00 - What do you do if you're Newcastle? 09:36 - If there's any possibility of him wanting to leave you must sell 10:44 - Isak's contract length is a key part of this deal 11:25 - Market shrinking and no options left? 12:04 - Is Ekitike worth a superstar price? 13:16 - Ekitike + £40m lets you address other issues 14:06 - Frankfurt are the biggest winners of this 16:11 - Are Liverpool strong-arming Newcastle? 17:12 - IS 40m worth the risk of replacing Isak with Ekitike? 19:04 - Becoming even more of a transition side 20:16 - An interesting one to follow 20:44 - Cristhian Mosquera 21:39 - Good physicals, bad aerial ability 22:50 - Bozo gene? 24:03 - The price is so low 24:34 - Xavi Simons and Bayern Munich 25:01 - Leipzig are bringing in wide players 25:40 - Bayern is kind of a no-brainer for Simons 26:26 - Similarities to Musiala 27:55 - Fixing a hole in Bayern's squad 28:50 - Sales Bayern need to make? 29:50 - fit at United (If no Cunha?) or Arsenal? 30:30 - The hope is you get 23/24 Simons 31:32 - Why have Bayern not bought Rodrygo already? 33:14 - Not much choice left at LW? 33:50 - CWC and Real Madrid's pressing problems 34:48 - Positive for Real Madrid from CWC 35:19 - Arda Guller and adding creativity to the squad 36:00 - Out of possession is still a mess 37:01 - Missing Mbappe helped with the press + Raul Asensio 38:00 - Does Mbappe/Vinicius ever work? 38:55 - Forcing Mbappe and Vini to defend 39:57 - Vinicius was a good presser when he first arrived 40:26 - Luis Enrique video on repeat 40:50 - The game passed Carlo Ancelotti? 42:06 - The ceiling for his is pretty low + adding good pressers? 43:18 - Chelsea surprise winners + did they get aa lucky draw? 44:05 - Chelsea completely outplayed PSG tactically 44:56 - Crowding the middle vs PSG keeps them quiet 46:42 - Issues with PSG's defensive approach 47:19 - Nuno Mendes had a bad day 47:54 - Not pressing Robert Sanchez? + Fatigue? 49:00 - Good result for Chelsea + getting a big bag