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Michael Owen was unimpressed by Liverpool against Newcastle (Picture: Getty) Michael Owen has warned Alexander Isak he is ‘running out of excuses’ after the Premier League’s record signing failed to make an impact in Liverpool’s 1-1 draw against Newcastle. The Reds broke the British transfer record to sign the Sweden international last summer, but he endured a wretched first season at Anfield. Injuries severely restricted to the extent whereby he started just nine Premier League games and was outshone by Hugo Ekitike who joined from Eintracht Frankfurt in the same window. Having starred at the World Cup for his country and enjoyed the benefit of a full pre-season, new Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola would have hoped for Isak to hit the ground running this term. Exclusive Premier League previews Get ahead of the start of the season with our weekly football newsletter. Sign up now for free. Instead, the 26-year-old laboured at a febrile St James’ Park on Sunday, where his every touch was jeered by the fans who once lauded him. Iraola and Liverpool were, ultimately, fortunate to escape with a point and a 2-2 draw after Dominik Szoboszlai converted a 97th minute penalty, but Owen admits the Reds need to start seeing more of a return on their huge £125million investment. ‘I had plenty of injuries in my career so I know how hard it is to get back and you do need a bit of time,’ Owen told talkSPORT. 🤦‍♂️ “We’re running out of excuses!”😬 “Questions will come now… he was far off it [vs Newcastle]”Michael Owen gives a damning verdict of Alexander Isak’s time at #LFC so far as he demands more from the striker! 😳 pic.twitter.com/GQTbGxDlEu— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) August 24, 2026 ‘We’ve given him time, everyone has given him time and understood that. But he’s finished the season, then he’s gone to the World Cup and now he’s had a pre-season and you just think OK, now we’re starting to run out of excuses. ‘We need to see the real Isak and we know how good he is. Wow, we saw him for Newcastle and he’s absolute class. We haven’t seen it for Liverpool just yet and questions will come now. As I say, always give him the benefit of doubt in the past but at the start of this season we’re expecting. Alexander Isak struggled against Newcastle (Picture: Shutterstock) ‘Liverpool absolutely need him, they’ve lost Salah, Ekitike is out, there’s not that many options in attacking areas. They absolutely need him in top form and yesterday he was far from it, I thought he was a yard off and that’s worrying. ‘I thought so was Wirtz I thought he was really quiet as well. They did well to scrounge a point in the end. ‘But he’s the big money signing, he’s the headline signing but I can’t sit here and say he played really well because he didn’t.’ Iraola, meanwhile, denied the abuse Isak encountered at his old stomping ground, a result of effectively going on strike last summer to force his move to Liverpool, played a part in another underwhelming display. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page ‘I think he expected a bit the atmosphere, it was not a big surprise for him,’ Iraola said. ‘He has tried everything, given us good positions on the ball, has had a couple of situations to finish in the box but not the clearest but I value that he has continued pushing, fighting. ‘We scored at the end, so probably you have a better taste. Before the game we wouldn’t have signed for this result.’ Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

Gabriel Jesus is not interested in leaving Arsenal for Napoli (Photo: Getty) With a transfer for Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus looking unlikely, Napoli are reportedly interested in signing a forgotten Chelsea striker. The Serie A giants are in the market for a new centre-forward but time is running out with the summer transfer window closing next week. Jesus has been their top target with Arsenal content to sell the Brazil international, who has been plagued by injuries over the past two seasons, for £20million. But reports suggest the 29-year-old is not interested in moving to Italy and could well stay at the Emirates for the 2026/27 season. Exclusive Premier League previews Get ahead of the start of the season with our weekly football newsletter. Sign up now for free. As a result, it seems Napoli are moving on to different targets and there is interest in Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson and Manchester United flop Joshua Zirkzee. Jackson has been transfer listed but Atletico Madrid and Aston Villa are leading the race for his signature, with the Premier League club expected to make an offer should Ollie Watkins be sold to Al Hilal. But he is not the only Chelsea striker Napoli are looking at, with Sky Italy reporting that Marc Guiu has been added to Massimiliano Allegri’s shortlist. Chelsea have not even given Marc Guiu a squad number for this season (Photo: Getty) The Blues poached Guiu from Barcelona in 2024 for just £5m and he enjoyed a promising start to his Stamford Bridge career, scoring six goals in seven Conference League games on the way to lifting the trophy. With first-team opportunities limited, the 20-year-old was loaned to Sunderland last season but recalled after just 26 days after Liam Delap suffered a lengthy injury. Back in west London, he again struggled for game time, starting just five games and playing only 527 minutes of football under Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior. Guiu scored three goals in 16 games for Chelsea and Sunderland last season (Photo: Getty) It seems that Xabi Alonso doesn’t fancy him either, with veteran Danny Welbeck signed to support Joao Pedro, and Guiu hasn’t even been given a squad number for the new season. It is said that in addition to Napoli, Guiu has interest from clubs in his native Spain and Germany, with the Blues valuing him at £25m. The Italian side would more than likely need to sell before they can buy, with Dutch winger Noa Lang tipped to leave. Barring a massive shock, Guiu will not be involved on Monday night as Chelsea kick-off their campaign against local rivals Fulham. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

Christos Tzolis was back in Belgium on Sunday after starring for Arsenal on Friday (Picture: Getty Images) Christos Tzolis has made an impressive start to his Arsenal career and he is clearly still a big fan favourite with his former side Club Brugge. The 24-year-old arrived at Arsenal from the Belgian side this summer in a £34 million move and is already showing impressive signs. The Greece international provided two assists in the 3-0 Community Shield win over Manchester City and another on his Premier League debut as Arsenal beat Coventry 3-0 on Friday. The former Norwich City player looks like he has a good chance of making the left wing spot his own at the Emirates, but he was already back at one of his old clubs on Sunday. Exclusive Premier League previews Get ahead of the start of the season with our weekly football newsletter. Sign up now for free. Tzolis returned to Club Brugge on Sunday as a guest for their derby clash with Cercle Brugge, which they won 1-0. The Greek was paraded on the pitch and given a great reception from the home fans, despite leaving the club just last month, even taking a fake kick-off before the game. Clearly they were not holding his move to the Premier League champions against him after two successful seasons in Belgium, which saw him score 43 goals in 108 appearances across all competitions. Christos Tzolis. Back at Jan Breydel. 👀🇬🇷 pic.twitter.com/P05Ttmuhy1— Club Brugge KV (@ClubBrugge) August 23, 2026 👋 | Christos Tzolis geeft het startschot voor de strijd om Brugge! ⚔️🔥Kijk nu naar #CLUCER op DAZN! ♨️ pic.twitter.com/aBbKCgnRhY— DAZN België (@DAZN_BENL) August 23, 2026 Tzolis has already earned great praise from his new manager, with Mikel Arteta saying: ‘I love that a player that has been with us just for a few weeks gets this kind of energy every time he’s on the ball. I think he’s earned it. ‘The way he has performed in the last few games has been phenomenal. What he transmits as a player is so direct, so incisive, constantly. ‘He wants to make things happen and he has an incredible variety of actions in the last 30 metres. ‘It’s up to him to make the right decisions. Even the spaces are sometimes really, really small. I’m very happy with him.’ Tzolis may well become a fan favourite at Arsenal as well (Picture: Getty Images) After impressing against Coventry, Gunners captain Martin Odegaard told the BBC of the Greek star: ‘Amazing – he played a brilliant game. ‘He has been brilliant all pre-season. He’s so lively. It’s hard to defend [against] him. He’s a really intelligent player. He always looks up and finds the right pass.’ Tzolis has taken a unique path to Arsenal, which started at PAOK in his home country before a forgettable spell with Norwich. He played 30 times for the Canaries after signing for them in August 2021 when they were in the Premier League, but made little impact. After an impressive loan spell at Fortuna Dusseldorf the German side exercised an option to sign him permanently, but then quickly sold him to Club Brugge for €6m (£5.14m). Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

Lille forward Matias Fernandez-Pardo is wanted by a number of club (Picture: Getty) Arsenal have added Lille’s Matias Fernandez-Pardo to their list of targets in their bid to sign a new forward before the transfer window closes. The Gunners began their Premier League title defence in dominant fashion last Friday, cantering to a 3-0 win over newly promoted Coventry City. Summer recruit Christos Tzolis impressed on the left-wing and he is already looking to be a a smart replacement for Leandro Trossard who joined Besiktas earlier this month. Fellow newboys Bruno Guimaraes and Ezri Konsa will add plenty of Premier League experience to the Gunners’ ranks as and when they are deemed ready to feature, but Mikel Arteta remains keen to strengthen his forward line still further ahead of the deadline. Exclusive Premier League previews Get ahead of the start of the season with our weekly football newsletter. Sign up now for free. Arsenal missed out on the signing of Morgan Rogers, who opted to join Chelsea instead, while their pursuit of Vinicius Junior ultimately ended in the Real Madrid star signing a new contract. The English champions are continuing to monitor what appears to be an untenable situation for Julian Alvarez at Atletico Madrid, but are drawing up contingency plans should the Argentina international either remain at his current club or secure his dream move to Barcelona. To that end, Arsenal are keeping a close eye on Fernandez-Pardo, who has made no secret of his desire to leave Lille this summer. The 21-year-old refused to play in a friendly against Everton this summer and had hoped he would be granted a move, especially having seen Ayyoub Bouaddi given permission to join Manchester City. Matias Fernandez-Pardo wants to leave Lille this summer (Picture: Getty) Fernandez-Pardo is currently under contract until 2029 and publicly Lille are adamant that he won’t be sold. ‘Matias Fernandez-Pardo is a very important player,’ said sporting director Sylvain Armand, underlining Lille’s stance on Sunday. ‘We’re counting on him. Talking about Mathias leaving isn’t necessarily on the table right now.’ According to Footmercato, however, Lille would consider doing business were they to receive an offer in the region of €70 million with Atletico and RB Leipzig also interested in the Belgium international. Gabriel Martinelli is set to leave Arsenal (Picture: Getty) In order to make room in their squad, Arsenal are ready to part company with Gabriel Martinelli. The long-serving Brazil international has been told he is surplus to requirements by Mikel Arteta having been left out of the last twomatchday squads. Having rejected a move to Galatasary, Martinelli is now open to moving to t he Saudi Pro League with Al-Hilal set to table an opening offer in the region of £50million. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

Andoni Iraola must get more out of Liverpool’s expensive signings (Picture: Getty Images) Gary Neville feels it is time for Florian Wirtz to start delivering for Liverpool, telling the Germany international to ‘sort himself out’ after another underwhelming performance. Wirtz arrived at Anfield from Bayer Leverkusen last summer for £116million and has failed to live up to that mammoth price tag since. The 23-year-old started in the 2-2 draw with Newcastle on Sunday and produced another forgettable performance before being replaced by Alexis Mac Allister on 63 minutes. That outing at St James’ Park was his 34th Premier League appearance, during which time he has produced five goals and three assists. Exclusive Premier League previews Get ahead of the start of the season with our weekly football newsletter. Sign up now for free. Neville expects a lot more from Wirtz and from striker Alexander Isak, who was also underwhelming on Sunday, but did have the excuse last season of being injured for a significant amount of the campaign. ‘They’re going to have to start playing sooner or later or else, to be fair, they’re going to get quite a lot of criticism,’ the Manchester United legend told Sky Sports. ‘For a start, they’re too nice, and if you’re going to be nice, you’d better be incredible at football. ‘I don’t see the tenacity in Wirtz in particular. I just see a nice player moving around the pitch, not really ever looking like he’s busting a gut to do anything. Florian Wirtz is yet to justify his enormous transfer fee (Picture: Getty Images) ‘Now, that can happen. Sometimes players have that flow about them, but I want to put a rocket up him. I want to put a rocket up him because there’s ability there, there’s talent there, the understanding of his position.’ He added: ‘Wirtz, he needs to sort himself out. Enough’s enough now, we’ve talked about him enough. He’s young and he’s come to a different country – and I’m all for willing him on. ‘They have both had a bit of a free ride. Obviously Isak was injured last season but Arne Slot loses his job, and Wirtz has played like that, so let’s be clear, this has got me to start some real focus now. Gary Neville feels Isak and Wirtz must step up to the plate (Picture: PA Wire) ‘I can see a real player there, but can’t keep watching this stuff and he’s been subbed after an hour and they need a goal, but they’re 2-1 down, so no that’s not right.’ The former full-back suggested that Wirtz and Isak would benefit from the German playing in a more advanced position, feeling that he drops deep and drifts wide too much. The two could create an excellent partnership, but need to be closer on the pitch to do so. ‘Sometimes I think he moves around too much. Sometimes I don’t think he’s close enough to his striker, I don’t think he understands where the game’s going to be won and lost,’ Neville said of Wirtz. Alexander Isak wasn’t particularly threatening against his old club (Picture: AP Photo) ‘When I played football and No 10s sometimes drifted too deep, or too wide, they would get a right rollicking off our manager. ‘The game’s not going to be won out there, the game’s not going to be won back there, the game’s going to be won in the final third, in and around the box. ‘Combining with your striker, getting crosses in, getting little passes, getting little side passes down the side of the centre-backs, being close enough to your forward so that you can combine with him. And I don’t see him combining with Isak. ‘I just feel like Wirtz has got to think about being involved in the build-up less and think about being a second striker. He’s got to think about his output and what he needs to do, and that is feed Isak with little passes down the side of centre-backs. He might only get the ball two or three times in that position in tight games where teams are lying deep.’ Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source