Howe responds to Slot's 'smaller club' jibe amid Isak transfer saga
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Eddie Howe refused to get dragged into a row with Arne Slot after his comments about Newcastle being a 'smaller club' - but he defended the club's care of their 'elite players'. The Liverpool boss has suggested that Newcastle's treatment of Isak during his summer strike led to him being unconditioned when he arrived on Merseyside. Isak suffered a groin injury at Frankfurt on Wednesday and now faces a period on the sidelines‚ having scored just one goal from eight appearances since his £125million move to Anfield.
Liverpool lost for the fourth game in a row in all competitions on Sunday afternoon‚ going down 2-1 against arch rivals Manchester United as their startling slump continued at Anfield. It followed defeats by Crystal Palace‚ Galatasaray and Chelsea‚ and has represented the sharp decline of Slot's side since they lifted the Premier League title in the Dutchman's first season in charge last term. In the summer‚ the Reds splashed out well over £400million on new talent‚ with Alexander Isak (£125m) and Florian Wirtz (£116m) costing over £100m each and the likes of Hugo Ekitike (£79m) and Milos Kerkez (£40m) also coming through the door.