Is Joelinton the new Yorke? Gentlemen's agreements mean nothing; reports say Newcastle will sell Isak for a £100 million offer.

Do gentlemen's agreements hold any weight? Among major European clubs, they are largely ineffective. Joelinton previously claimed to have such an agreement with Sporting CP, but Sporting refused to release him unless Arsenal met their full asking price. Now Isak has become the "new Joelinton," as this Premier League silver boot saga with Newcastle continues.

According to the latest from The Daily Mail, the reason behind Isak’s complete fallout with Newcastle is also a gentlemen's agreement. There’s a well-informed circle circulating this info, unrelated to the two clubs but very familiar with the inner workings of player transfers. The source says Isak believed that if any club offered more than £100 million, Newcastle would let him go. If true, this clarifies the situation suddenly. Liverpool has reportedly bid £110 million for Isak but Newcastle rejected it. Isak publicly hinted that Newcastle breached the gentlemen’s agreement, breaking trust completely, and declared he will no longer play for the Magpies.

In my opinion, forced moves rarely work out well. Newcastle changed management, making some verbal promises hard to keep. The reason Newcastle refuses to sell Isak for £110 million is because the team is aiming for the Champions League this season but still lacks a new striker. If Isak leaves, there’s no one in the squad who can fill the number 9 role. For example, in the Premier League opener, Gordon was forced to play as striker but clearly lacked the ability for the number 9 position — it was almost like he was sleepwalking.