In the foyer of the Pan Pacific Hotel in Singapore, just hours after news had broken of Alexander Isak wanting to quit Newcastle, one of his team-mates casually remarked: 'Yeah, he's gone.'
Daily Mail Sport had published the story as the team flew to the Far East on July 24. Rather than be met with grumpy faces, given the news meant a storm and not sunshine awaited them, there were handshakes and shrugs of shoulders - 'It is what it is'.