- Wijnaldum’s old quotes have resurfaced
- Revealed emotion behind swapping sides
- Has demanded to be left out of it
The Isak will-he-won’t-he saga has become the biggest talking point of the summer. Liverpool made an initial bid of £110 million ($149m), which was declined by Newcastle. There followed a flurry of statements, claims of ‘broken promises’, a firm rebuttal from the north-east club, and now stalemate. Wijnaldum, who played for both clubs, has now been reminded how he felt when he swapped St James’ Park for Anfield back in 2016 – something he’s really not happy about.
Alongside a social media post by ESPN of him during his playing days at Liverpool and Newcastle, readers were reminded of his words from back in 2016: “When the previous season ended, I said that I wouldn’t force a move. When Liverpool came in for me, I made up my mind that I wanted to come here, but I wasn’t going to force it because I appreciated what Newcastle and their fans did for me.”
Wijnaldum replied: “This is something I said almost 10 years ago before my move to Liverpool. Why do you post it like it’s my opinion about Isak his decision ? This is something between Isak and Newcastle/Liverpool please keep me out of it. Thank you.” He then posted a story with the ‘facepalm’ and wrote: “The media”.
Toon boss Eddie Howe has said this ongoing drama is drawing to a close. He added that the on-strike Swede will not play against Liverpool on Monday, with the transfer window closing a week after that.
