What Newcastle did to the last four players who refused to play like Alexander Isak

Alexander Isak is adamant he will never represent Newcastle again as the Sweden international pushes for a big-money move away from St James' Park, but what happened to the last four players who refused to play for the club?

On Tuesday night, a frustrated Isak accused Newcastle of breaking promises and said the "trust is lost" after the club turned down a £110 million offer from Liverpool this summer.

The 25-year-old, who is under contract until 2028, claimed Newcastle have known his position for a long time. "To now act as if these issues are only emerging is misleading," he added. "When promises are broken and trust is lost, the relationship can't continue."

Newcastle were quick to respond, saying they were "disappointed" with Isak and denied that any club official had told the striker he could leave.

But the Swede is adamant he will never represent the Magpies again, according to The Athletic, who claim Isak regards his career at the Premier League outfit as finished and has no desire to reintegrate into the squad, even if he does stay beyond the summer window.

Isak wants to leave Newcastle this summer. Image credit: Getty

So, who else has refused to play for Newcastle? And what happened after they made their feelings clear?

George Eastham

Back in 1959, Eastham requested a transfer from Newcastle, but the club denied his request, preventing him from playing elsewhere. He left football temporarily and appealed to the Football League, but no resolution was reached.

Eventually, he made the transfer from Newcastle to Arsenal in 1960, but Eastham pursued legal action.

Three years later, in 1963, the High Court ruled in Eastham’s favour, declaring the retain-and-transfer system a "restraint of trade." The decision marked a turning point in professional football, giving players greater freedom and reshaping their relationship with clubs.

George Eastham (right) of Arsenal during his High Court dispute with his former club Newcastle with regard to his transfer. Image credit: Getty

Craig Bellamy

Former Newcastle manager Graeme Souness once claimed he sold Bellamy for refusing to play for the club when fit, although the Welshman has since played down those suggestions.

After being asked if he kicked Bellamy out of the club, Souness told talkSPORT: “He refused to play when he was fit. He was a young man who forever talked about going to the next level, always wanted to improve – in that respect, he was a genuine, real-deal player.

“He chose not to play one day, I went and took him to the chairman immediately, and I said, ‘Look, we’ve got a player who says he’s not willing to play and he’s fit, ’ and I asked him to repeat it in front of Freddy Shepherd and he did so."

Souness added: "It was a joint decision from the board and me that he should leave the football club.”

Charles N'Zogbia

N'Zogbia vowed never to play for Newcastle again in protest at manager Joe Kinnear repeatedly mispronouncing his surname in an interview. Kinnear referred to the player as "Insomnia" in January 2009, sparking a row between the pair.

A few weeks later, N'Zogbia joined Wigan Athletic for £6 million in a deal that involved Ryan Taylor moving the other way.

The Frenchman confirmed he was "really unhappy" with Kinnear, saying: "The best thing for me was to move on. I didn't want to play under that manager anymore. I know all about Wigan having played here - and lost - for Newcastle and it is a great young club moving in the right direction."

Kinnear would accuse N'Zogbia of trying to engineer a move away from Newcastle. Image credit: Getty

Yohan Cabaye

Back in 2013. Cabaye refused to play for Newcastle in the hope of securing a move to Arsenal or Paris Saint-Germain.

He missed games against Manchester City and West Ham at the start of the 2013/24 campaign, shortly after the Magpies rejected a £10.2 million bid from Arsenal for the midfielder.

After being disciplined by the club, Cabaye apologised to supporters after refusing to play. "If the fans were, or still are, mad at me for what happened, then I understand and I apologise to them," said Cabaye. "I want to come back from what has happened."

The French midfielder would feature again for Newcastle, but in January 2014, he joined PSG in a deal worth £19 million.