Sky Sports reporter speaks out following backlash over his Alexander Isak comments during Southampton game
A Sky Sports reporter has taken to social media to respond to criticism about his comments on Alexander Isak, and he's not happy.
On Saturday, Newcastle United rallied after last week's loss to Bournemouth at St James' Park as they beat Southampton 3-1 away from home.
Fans hoping to watch the game on television were disappointed as the game was scheduled for 3pm, meaning that it would be taking place during the Premier League blackout.
Therefore, many turned to Sky Sports' Soccer Saturday to keep up to date with the match and others happening at the same time.
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Sky Sports reporter Mark McAdam was in charge of keeping viewers informed of the action at St Mary's stadium, but one comment he made during the match led to backlash online.
After Newcastle star striker Isak scored his second goal of the match, putting his side in the lead after falling 1-0 behind early in the game, McAdam referenced the Swede's recent links with a transfer to Arsenal this month.
"Quite remarkable, Alexander Isak is the man that so many Arsenal fans want the Gunners to sign, and he’s proving just why," McAdam noted.
"He’s now got his second goal of the game and given Newcastle a 2-1 lead.
"He takes a good touch and, like Thierry Henry, he opens his body up in front of goal and then caresses it, side foots it past Alex McCarthy into that bottom corner.”
Although his comments were certainly topical, not everyone was happy to hear the reporter immediately talk about another club while speaking about a goal for Newcastle.
Reacting to a clip of McAdam on X, Daily Telegraph writer Luke Edwards wrote: "Striker scores for Newcastle, so let’s talk about Arsenal signing him immediately."
But McAdam wasn't willing to take the criticism without fighting his corner, as he quickly replied: "Not fancy talking to my face Luke? I was at the game and always happy to chat.
"Especially after some of the recent questions in press conferences I’ve seen from you. Imagine if I went straight on Twitter to have a pop…
"Live TV is live TV."
Finally, Edwards doubled down on his view, cheekily responding: "I’ll happily talk to your face but I wasn’t at the game today.
"It just seemed a strange way to start talking about Isak scoring for Newcastle to me and it’s been going on for weeks at Sky, framing everything about when he leaves. It’s annoying.
"I was making a lighthearted comment hence the laughing emojis but thanks for the feedback on my own style of questioning x"
Topics: Newcastle United, Alexander Isak, Sky Sports, Premier League, Football, Arsenal, Transfer News, Transfers
Ben McCrum