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During Saturday's draw against Aston Villa, it was Anthony Gordon who played through the middle as Eddie Howe's side failed to find the back of the net against 10 men, following Ezri Konsa's second-half red card.

Will Osula - the Magpies' only recognised first-team striker, other than Alexander Isak - came on to the pitch in the 90th minute in place of Harvey Barnes.

Whilst it was Gordon's run in behind the Villa defence that saw Konsa dismissed, Newcastle lacked a cutting edge in the final third.

Yoane Wissa's 19 Premier League goals for Brentford last season suggest a player of his quality could prove to be a useful replacement, should Isak leave the club.

Sami Mokbel
BBC Sport Senior football correspondent

Nothing can happen before the game. But, I'd be flabbergasted if Liverpool don't make some sort of approach next week for Alexander Isak.

In my mind there was no way Liverpool didn't know he would release that statement. So, after he did that I can't see any other outcome but Liverpool making another offer or some sort of approach for him next week.

Whether that's successful or not will depend on the level of money they're prepared to put into the pot. If Liverpool have to continue to up their offer, then there's only a certain amount of money to go round.

The more they put into the transfer fee, the less you'd imagine they'd be able to pay Isak at Anfield. There's certainly a catch 22 situation there.

I can't imagine a situation where he sits out an entire season. It sounds absolutely ludicrous to me for someone in the prime of their career to throw away a season because he didn't get his dream move.

Sami Mokbel was speaking to the Football Daily podcast.

Ask Me Anything

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Alexander Isak has not handed in a transfer request to leave Newcastle this summer, despite posting on Instagram that "change is best for everyone" on Tuesday.

One of the benefits of handing a transfer request is to inform a club of a player's desire to leave, but given Isak's recent actions, despite not handing in an official transfer request, he is keen to depart the club.

Formally handing in an official transfer request can lead to significant financial penalties for a player.

It constitutes a breach of a player's contract, meaning that a player could be no longer entitled to contractual bonuses - including signing-on fees and loyalty bonuses.

If at any point Newcastle find Isak to have breached the obligations of his contract or a relevant code of conduct, the Magpies may have grounds to fine the Swedish striker.

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Having being omitted from the squad for Sunday's defeat against Nottingham Forest, Wissa's future still remains in doubt.

Speaking ahead of the game to Talksport, external, Brentford boss Keith Andrews said: "I have got a good relationship with Wiss.

"I worked really hard with him last year to try and find goals. Seven of his 19 goals last year came from set pieces.

"He owes me really, so he shouldn't be going anywhere, to be blunt!"

Earlier this week, Wissa deleted all traces of Brentford from his Instagram, external page as talks between the two clubs continue.

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Adding even more confusion to the Alexander Isak saga, is Newcastle's search for a replacement - or two - that would perhaps allow the Swedish striker to leave the club.

Yoane Wissa has been well in Eddie Howe's sights this transfer window, with Brentford turrning down Newcastle's latest bid of £40m for the striker.

The Magpies were proposing a £35m initial fee plus a further £5m in add-ons.

Newcastle reopened talks with Brentford on Wednesday but sources told BBC Sport that the latest bid fell below the Bees' valuation of Wissa.

It is understood Wissa held talks with Brentford's owner Matthew Benham on Tuesday, a development that prompted the discussions.

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Sources have told BBC Sport one reason there hasn't yet been a follow-up bid from Liverpool is that any move would be reliant on Newcastle getting two strikers through the door.

When - or perhaps if - Newcastle get those two signings in, Liverpool are expected to ramp up their interest with another bid.

That brings us to Yoane Wissa...

Ciaran Kelly
Football reporter

Eddie Howe is set to speak to reporters for the first time since Alexander Isak claimed “promises were broken” in a statement on Tuesday night.

Howe’s messaging throughout this saga has been consistent and I would be surprised if he completely changed tack today – even after those words caught the club cold.

Rather than hammering Isak’s conduct, or writing off the prospect of the striker one day representing Newcastle again, the head coach has repeatedly stressed that the door has not been shut on the Swede being reintegrated into the squad.

That may seem a distant prospect right now, but there are just 10 days left of the window.

It feels like a series of seismic events are going to have to take place for Newcastle's conditions of sale to be met, namely the club securing quality replacements for both Isak and Callum Wilson and Liverpool making an improved offer that gives the black-and-whites a decision to make.

But that won’t be at the forefront of Howe’s mind right this second. Newcastle also have a huge game to prepare for. Against Liverpool. Of all teams.

Expect additional questions on:

• The visit of the champions on Monday night.
• Newcastle coming up against former target Hugo Ekitike.
• The arrival of midfielder Jacob Ramsey.
• The latest on Newcastle’s search for a centre-forward.

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Wayne Rooney admits he is not a fan on Isak's behaviour, but recognises that Newcastle fans are happy for players elsewhere to act in a similar way...

"Now, Newcastle aren't happy with Isak's behaviour because Liverpool want to sign him. But then on the flip side of that, Newcastle are trying to sign Yoane Wissa who's behaving the exact same way at Brentford." Rooney said on the Wayne Rooney show.

"I remember Anthony Gordon not playing for Everton because he wanted to go to Newcastle. So you can't have it both ways.

"But in terms of Isak's team-mates, I wouldn't want him back. Once you've overstepped the mark I think it's very difficult to come back in.

"You can ask to leave a football club - that happens - or the club tell you you're leaving. But you have to be professional.

"You've got friends in there who you play with, you have fans who are paying a lot of money to support and you can't just walk out on it. And if they're going to do it once, they'll do it again.

"For me, I don't think there's any way back for Isak at Newcastle. I think there are cases where it can happen, but from me as a person, don't think I could accept them back."

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Wayne Rooney doesn't think "there is any way back for Alexander Isak at Newcastle" and if he was one of his team-mates then he wouldn't want him to be re-integrated either.

"If I'm a Newcastle player, I don't want Isak back," Rooney said on the BBC's Wayne Rooney Show. "I think if players leave football clubs - and that happens all the time - there's a way to go about it.

"You can't go on strike, can't not turn up for training and train with your team-mates.

"If you want to leave the club or not, you have to be there for your team-mates and be ready if needed. So I think if I was a player I wouldn't want him back.

"He's deserted you. He doesn't want to be there, he doesn't want to be your team-mate. So I wouldn't want him back.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

As always, we want to hear from you. What are your thoughts on the whole Alexander Isak situation?

Reckon he can still have a future at Newcastle? Or should the Magpies sell for the best fee possible and start to re-settle their squad again?

Liverpool fans, think the Reds should continue their pursuit of the Sweden striker and come back with a second bid?

And, what sort of an atmosphere are you expecting at St James' Park on Monday night? How much could that help Eddie Howe's side?

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Let's have a look at how this saga has played out since the end of last season...

25 May - Alexander Isak finishes 2024-25 season as Newcastle's top scorer with 27 goals in 42 appearances

19 July - Newcastle boss Eddie Howe says Isak will "absolutely" be on the club's pre-season tour of the far-east after the Swede missed a 4-0 friendly defeat by Celtic with a thigh injury

23 July - Liverpool sign striker Hugo Ekitike in £69m deal from Eintracht Frankfurt

24 July - Isak is left out of Newcastle's squad for their pre-season tour with a "minor thigh injury"

24 July - Isak expresses desire to explore move away from Newcastle

28 July - Sources tell BBC Sport that Liverpool remain keen on signing Isak, despite the arrival of Ekitike

29 July - Howe says Newcastle are yet to receive any offers for Isak

31 July - Isak trains alone at former club Real Sociedad

1 August - Newcastle reject Liverpool's opening £110m offer for the Sweden international and the Reds may not continue their interest

2 August - Howe says he "really doesn't know what is going to happen next" and describes the situation as "far from ideal"

4 August - Isak returns to Newcastle training ground but has been told to train away from the first-team squad

8 August - Howe says it is "clear" he 'can't involve' Isak at Newcastle as things stand

16 August - Isak not part of matchday squad as Newcastle held at Aston Villa in Premier League opener

19 August - Isak says promises have been "broken" by Newcastle and "the relationship can't continue" while club says "no commitment has ever been made" to Isak.

20 August - Less than 24 hours after his statement, Isak is seen arriving at Newcastle's training ground alone.

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And where better to start than with Alexander Isak. Here's where we're at with the whole saga...

Last month, Isak expressed his desire to explore a move away from Newcastle this summer.

Liverpool came in with a £110m bid for the Sweden striker at the start of August, but the Magpies rejected it.

And then, on Tuesday evening, Isak posted an explosive statement on Instagram in which he said promises have been "broken" by Newcastle and the "relationship can't continue".

Later, Newcastle responded with a statement of their own. It said "no commitment has ever been made" that Isak could leave the club.

Asked about the situation yesterday, Liverpool boss Arne Slot remained tight-lipped and said: "What I can tell you is not a lot."

And finally, on Monday night, we've got Newcastle v Liverpool at 20:00 BST - a fixture bound to get people talking.

Let's dive into the main key points surrounding that game...

Then here's what we've got coming up on Saturday and Sunday...

Saturday

Man City v Tottenham (12:30)

Bournemouth v Wolves (15:00)

Brentford v Aston Villa (15:00)

Burnley v Sunderland (15:00)

Arsenal v Leeds (17:30)

Sunday

Crystal Palace v Nottingham Forest (14:00)

Everton v Brighton (14:00)

Fulham v Man Utd (16:30)

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We've got a Friday night game this evening, with West Ham hosting Chelsea at London Stadium (20:00 BST).

Both managers spoke to the media yesterday and these were the main talking points...

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca said Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku will not be part of the squad amid transfer speculation.

West Ham's Graham Potter, meanwhile, said he "believes a lot" in the players and the club that they can improve after they started their season with a disappointing 3-0 defeat by newly promoted Sunderland.

We'll hear from Eddie Howe at about 09:30 BST, so in the meantime let's have a quick look ahead to this weekend's fixtures.

Hello again, and thanks for joining us for another busy day of Premier League chatter.

We've got lots coming up before the second round of fixtures, with more transfer news and plenty of news conferences.

First up is Eddie Howe. I wonder what he will be asked about...