Ghost of Ratgate at Newcastle United as Alexander Isak’s saga threatens team’s harmony, while the club maintain its stance to force an unhealthy relationship.
History rarely repeats itself word for word, but echoes of its like often return. For Newcastle United, the noise around Alexander Isak’s future has dragged the club into a familiar narrative—division, distrust, and the slow erosion of togetherness.
For those who lived through the storm of Ratgate in the 1990s, the parallels are hard to ignore. The ghost of Ratgate has returned to Tyneside, and this time, attracted by the desires of one man, which do not coincide with the interest of the club.
The Ghost of Ratgate
Ratgate, for the uninitiated, was less about goals and more about gossip. During Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle era, whispers began to surface that players were feeding stories from the dressing room to the press.
Fingers were pointed, accusations made, and soon the bond between teammates crumbled. Nobody could be sure who was loyal and who was leaking. Newcastle’s title challenge faltered, and Ratgate became shorthand for a squad undone by suspicion.
It was a saga that taught the club a brutal truth: a team can look united on the pitch but collapse if the dressing room is poisoned from within.
The best period in the club’s history in the Premier League era, Keegan came close to winning the title twice, and the failure to do so, helped by the club’s decision to sell star striker Andy Cole to a direct rival midway through the season, took a toll on him and influenced his decision to quit in 1997.
After his departure, things turned toxic and the club slipped from title challengers to the bottom half in less than a year under the appointment of Kenny Dalglish. To worsen matters, every inside detail leaked to the press.
Someone from within was leaking, and the word “rat” was whispered louder in the dressing room. Nobody ever proved who it was, but the effect was devastating: trust between teammates evaporated.
Senior players like David Batty, Robert Lee, David Ginola, Keith Gillespie, and even captain Alan Shearer were caught in the storm, some suspected, some defending, all unsettled.
From a side that had pushed Manchester United to the brink, Newcastle slid into mediocrity. Ratgate became shorthand for self-destruction, a warning that a squad divided cannot compete.
Alexander Isak and the Lure of Anfield
Fast forward to today, and Swedish striker Alexander Isak finds himself at the centre of Newcastle’s fracture. Just five months ago, he led them to their first silverware in 70 years, and now he wants out, going AWOL to force a move to Liverpool.
Signed to spearhead Eddie Howe’s project and justify the club’s Saudi-backed ambition, Isak has become everything Newcastle hoped for: a prolific forward, adored by supporters, and admired across Europe.
But admiration attracts attention, and Liverpool’s interest has changed the picture. Media outlets across England and Sweden have consistently linked the 24-year-old to Anfield, with reports suggesting Isak sees Arne Slot’s rebuild as the perfect stage to fulfil his ambitions.
For the player, the allure is obvious: guaranteed Champions League football, a global stage, and the chance to compete for trophies year in, year out. He has never been shy to make this public knowledge.
At Newcastle, the story is different. Howe’s project may have advanced from its infancy, but it pales in comparison to the power and reputation of Liverpool on the global stage. Even though Newcastle have maintained that he is not for sale, in the corridors of St. James’ Park, that decision has not ended the matter.
Ratgate | A Divisions in the Ranks
Within the squad, opinions are reportedly split. Some players, perhaps recognising their own career timelines, sympathise with Isak. Few footballers would turn down Liverpool at their peak, and even fewer would fault a striker for chasing trophies.
Others, however, see the Swede’s stance as a betrayal. Newcastle broke their wage structure to bring him in and built their attack around him; to leave now feels, to some, like walking out halfway through the journey.
This is where the comparison to Ratgate deepens. Then, the division was over loyalty to the dressing room, who could be trusted and who was a “rat.”
Now, it is over loyalty to the project. Isak’s teammates are beginning to ask the same question supporters are: who are those in support of Isak, and who are those backing the project?
Newcastle Must Learn From the Past
The danger for Howe is that this uncertainty affects performances. His team has been built on unity, with most players, Isak not excluded before now, buying into collective effort rather than individual ambition.
Nevertheless, Ratgate of the ’90s showed how quickly suspicion can turn strength into weakness. Today, Isak’s saga threatens to create similar fault lines, and wouldn’t it be safer to let him go on his way?
According to the player’s camp, there was an agreement to let him leave this summer, but Newcastle United maintain that they do not foresee the conditions of his exit being met this year.
Newcastle have the finances to resist Liverpool’s overtures, but keeping an unsettled star is often as damaging as losing him. Once commitment evaporates, so too does impact.
For teammates, trust erodes quickly when the will to fight for the badge is in doubt, while some are left to rethink their contracts as they feel the club has treated Isak unfairly.
History offers a warning. Ratgate did not just embarrass Newcastle, it symbolised the fragility of ambition when unity collapses. The ruins of the ’90s remain visible, despite their now strong financial position.
The Choice Ahead
The Isak situation is not about leaks, but the principle is the same: fractured loyalty breeds fractured results. If Newcastle want to re-establish themselves among the Premier League’s elite, they must find a resolution that preserves belief inside their squad.
Because when a dressing room splits, whether over a “rat” in the 1990s or a star striker eyeing Anfield in 2025, the result is the same: a club built to rise begins to eat itself from the inside.
Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi
