Rio Ferdinand says ‘nice guys don’t win’ after Alexander Isak transfer saga

HONG KONG – Players should not be vilified for forcing through transfer moves, former England star Rio Ferdinand told AFP on Sept 3 following the Alexander Isak saga, adding: “Nice guys don’t win.”

Isak is public enemy No. 1 at Newcastle United after making it clear that he did not want to play for the club again as he attempted to engineer a move to Liverpool.

The Swedish striker, 25, got his wish by sealing a British record £125 million (S$216.2 million) switch to the English Premier League champions on Sept 1.

England defender Marc Guehi, however, saw his move to Liverpool break down after Crystal Palace vetoed his sale at the last minute.

In contrast to the bitter Isak saga, Guehi earned plaudits for continuing to play and perform for Palace, despite Liverpool’s advances.

“Nice guys don’t win,” former England and Manchester United defender Ferdinand said on the sidelines of the World Football Summit in Hong Kong.

“The clubs get away with murder in these situations. How many players down the years were denied a move because the clubs said it wasn’t this, and it wasn’t that? Being greedy.

“But players get vilified when they say, ‘It’s a great offer, it’s a load of money, why aren’t you letting me go? I want to go to a club that’s winning trophies’.”

The 25-year-old Guehi, who is in the England squad for upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia, could yet move to Liverpool next summer after his Palace contract expires.

But Ferdinand, who joined Manchester United from Leeds for a then-British record fee in 2002, said that things could change.

He said: “Marc Guehi’s not been able to go and everyone’s going, ‘Great, brilliant.’

“But what if Liverpool don’t buy him now? Or he gets injured, he never gets to that point, and he never gets a chance to win trophies?”

He added that people wonder why players sometimes get uncooperative, “get their elbows out and say, ‘No, I need to go’.”

“I just think it’s business. Players shouldn’t get vilified – clubs aren’t, and it should be equal.”

Isak’s protracted saga had started in pre-season, when he was omitted from the Magpies’ squad for their pre-season tour of Asia with a “minor thigh injury”. Talk was already rife then about him joining the Reds.

He trained alone at his former club Real Sociedad before Liverpool’s initial bid for him was rejected by Newcastle.

Isak then released a statement saying that promises had been “broken” by Newcastle and the “relationship can’t continue”.

In response, the Magpies said: “No commitment had ever been made by a club official that Alex can leave Newcastle United this summer.”

But after his Anfield move was completed, Isak said in an Instagram post that he is “forever grateful” to Newcastle, adding “it has been an honour to be part of the journey”, from reaching the Champions League to winning the League Cup in March for their first major domestic trophy in 70 years. 

Fellow Sweden striker Viktor Gyokeres has, not surprisingly, sided with Isak. The 27-year-old had also gone on strike at Sporting Lisbon in the summer to force through his move to Arsenal in a deal that could rise to £64 million.

Noting that not everyone knows what goes on behind the scenes, Gyokeres told Sky Sports: “We all play and I think the clubs have the most power.

“It’s maybe difficult for the players to choose in a lot of cases.

“When it’s a player that’s not wanted in that club, I think it’s the total opposite, he doesn’t have any power and the club can do literally whatever they want with the player. It’s difficult, but it’s how the situation is.”

As far as Sweden coach Jon Dahl Tomasson is concerned, however, what is most important is that Isak is happy.

“I’m happy that the guy is here. It doesn’t matter where the players play as long as they play and that they are happy... and he is extremely happy,” the Dane, himself a former Newcastle forward, told the Fotbollskanalen website.

But Michael Owen, who played for Newcastle, Liverpool and Manchester United, felt that cases like Isak’s will set a precedent.

He wrote on X: “Behave badly and get the move you want. Behave like a gentleman and miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime.

“No prizes for guessing how players will act in the future if this is the result.” AFP