Alan Shearer caught off guard by Alexander Isak transfer as Newcastle demand made clear

Alan Shearer was stunned that Newcastle United let Alexander Isak depart for Liverpool before signing a second replacement. The Magpies look to have quelled the club legend's shock by signing Brentford star Yoane Wissa.

The summer transfer window has been dominated by the saga of Isak's impending exit, with the Swedish forward now seemingly set to make a deadline day move to the Reds in a deal worth £125million. After expressing his desire to explore other options, Isak effectively went on strike this summer and was the subject of a £110m bid from Arne Slot's side in August.

Now, following three years at St. James' Park, which ends in acrimony, the striker is scheduled for his medical on Merseyside. The focus then shifted to securing replacements, with one already in the bag - Nick Woltemade, who joined Newcastle from Stuttgart last week for £65m.

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The German netted 17 times in all competitions last year and was named Player of the Tournament at the under-21 European Championships. However, with Isak's departure imminent, more attacking prowess was required. Shearer was shocked another player wasn't brought in before Isak's departure was allowed.

In a conversation with Gary Lineker on podcast, Shearer was quizzed about the likelihood of Isak's departure. The England icon confessed he'd be quite taken aback if Isak were to leave without another striker being brought in.

"Newcastle haven't got one of the players that they want in," began Shearer, speaking before details of Isak's impending move surfaced late on Sunday. "I'd be surprised if Newcastle let him go without getting another forward in."

However, it appears that the 25-year-old's medical is scheduled and a six-year deal with Liverpool is nearly finalised. This put added pressure on Eddie Howe's team to secure another player, and they quickly acted on the demand by agreeing a deal for Wissa for a reported £55m.

In Isak's absence, young William Osula had been tasked with scoring goals. Despite finding the back of the net in the club's 3-2 loss to Liverpool last week, Shearer didn't believe he was ready to be the main striker.

"He is not ready to lead the line for Newcastle," Shearer continued. "Potential? Yes. Attitude? Absolutely. You can't fault his efforts and everything else, but he's not ready to lead Newcastle in the Champions League and going forward in the league to try and get into a top five or top six space.

"His time may come in the future, but he's not ready to start yet. Woltemade, I think he could be a really clever signing," Shearer added, referring to Howe's latest signing. "But it also comes with a risk because ultimately, he's had seven or eight months playing good football.

"He has not scored a lot of goals and has not gotten great experience. Just under £70m. Newcastle, unfortunately, are always going to have to pay over the limit because there is a Saudi price now, and there might be an Isak price.

"Other clubs know that Newcastle are on the hunt for a forward, so they were always going to get stung with the price. It could turn out to be really smart signing, but it's a big, big ask for him to go in and lead the line as Newcastle's No. 9."

Newcastle had several players on their deadline day wish list, and while Shearer would have been left baffled by the lack of signings before Isak was allowed to leave, he can rest easy with Wissa's arrival imminent.

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