Amid the drama, the intrigue and the excitement of the conclusion of Alexander Isak’s record-breaking move from Newcastle to Liverpool, darker truths about player power have risen to the surface of the oil slick that the modern game sometimes seems to resemble.
Isak is not the first player to go on strike to force a transfer away from a team that pays him extremely well to a team that will pay him even more, leaving disillusioned fans in his wake without a backward glance, and the success of his dubious tactic only helps to ensure that many more will follow his lead.