Newcastle United's Danish striker #18 William Osula arrives ahead of the English Premier League football match between Newcastle United and Everton at St James' Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, north east England on May 25, 2025. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP)placeholder image
Newcastle United's Danish striker #18 William Osula arrives ahead of the English Premier League football match between Newcastle United and Everton at St James' Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, north east England on May 25, 2025. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP) | AFP via Getty Images
Newcastle United’s players returned to pre-season training at Darsley Park on Monday.
The Magpies’ first-team squad will have a staggered return to pre-season training with several international players returning later in the month.
But among the first players back at the training ground was striker William Osula. The 21-year-old’s season ended just over a fortnight ago with an Under-21s European Championship quarter-final defeat to France in Slovakia.
Osula caught the eye in the tournament with three goals but is already back at Newcastle after a short break. His return comes as a slight surprise, given that international players are granted extra time away from club duties over the summer.
But Osula’s limited game time during the 2024/25 season, in which he started just three matches, would explain his eagerness to return and make an impact at the club in pre-season. The Dane has an opportunity to impress in the coming weeks, especially after the departure of Callum Wilson.
Newcastle will still be looking to sign a striker this summer to support Alexander Isak but it is hoped Osula’s will make a more significant impact this coming season after showing encouraging signs towards the back end of the 2024/25 season.
And even in his limited time off this summer, he has still been working hard for the club.
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‘Agent’ William Osula teases Anthony Elanga transfer
Osula has been given the ‘Agent Osula’ nickname by supporters due to his friendship with top Newcastle transfer target Anthony Elanga.
Even in his brief break, Osula met up with Elanga and teased the potential transfer on his social media accounts with a reference to his ‘Agent Osula’ title.
The pair also recorded a Tiktok video together as they danced and shook hands, further fuelling the transfer speculation among supporters.
Newcastle United fan account ‘Memecastle United’ also joked that Osula was the club’s new sporting director for doing ‘more to get transfers over the line in two weeks than Paul Mitchell managed in 12 months’.
Osula’s posts came just before Newcastle submitted a £55million bid to Nottingham Forest for Elanga.
William Osula and Anthony Elanga on Tiktok.placeholder image
William Osula and Anthony Elanga on Tiktok. | tiktok
Last week, Osula trained in Monaco in preparation for his return to pre-season training at Newcastle. He posted clips of himself training while wearing a Monaco shirt.
Monaco will be competing against the likes of Newcastle in the Champions League this coming season. But Osula is set to be staying on Tyneside.
Newcastle United have already made William Osula transfer decision
Osula joined Newcastle from Sheffield United last summer for an initial £10million fee. His first season on Tyneside saw him limited to just 124 minutes of Premier League football with his three starts coming in the cup competitions.
The young forward is still waiting to make his full Premier League debut for Newcastle, but he still managed to make an impact in his small time on the pitch as he contributed with two goals and two assists.
Osula’s header against Ipswich Town in April at St James’ Park marked his first Premier League goal.
While Osula’s gametime at Newcastle has led to calls to send him out on loan for the coming season, the club have no intention on doing that at this stage. The Dane’s progress during his first season at Newcastle has pleased Eddie Howe and his coaching staff on the training ground, and that saw him handed more regular appearances towards the back end of the season.
Osula can draw inspiration from a player like Lewis Hall, who arrived at the club as a youngster and had minimal game time in his first season before really stepping things up and becoming a key player in the side during the 2024/25 campaign. There’s also Anthony Gordon, who, after a difficult half-season at Newcastle, used the Under-21s Euros as a springboard for a successful season.
But Osula faces stiff competition with top scorer sak leading the line and the club also looking to sign another striker this summer. Osula’s proficiency with both feet and ability to play off the wing could create a space for him in the side next season given Newcastle’s heavier fixture schedule due to the Champions League.
Newcastle assistant manager Jason Tindall was instrumental in signing Osula last summer having worked with him previously at Sheffield United.
But when asked if the forward could be loaned out this coming season, Tindall told The Gazette: "That's something we have to sort of assess, I'd say, week by week, month by month.
"We've got no plans to sort of send Will out on loan, he's an important part of the squad right now and we know in football, things can change very, very quickly.
"We've seen it time and time again throughout our managerial career, not just here.
"As I said, with the likes of Lewis Hall and Tino and young players especially, they probably do get a little bit impatient and frustrated at times, but it's important that they stay grounded, they keep working hard every single day and the work they put in on the training ground will go a long way to them."
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