With Anthony Elanga through the door, the next question on the minds of many Newcastle fans surrounds is just who will arrive up top to replaced the recently released Callum Wilson.
Keith Downie (Sky Sports) reports that the focus has shifted to finding someone who can lead the line when Isak needs a breather, or even push him for a starting spot or play alongside the Swede.
Last season proved it, didn’t it? Without our main man up top, we struggled, sometimes failing to win a single game. With at least 48 matches on the horizon, and probably closer to 60 with Europe, we simply need two top-quality strikers to handle that immense workload. No more being caught short!
We tried for Liam Delap, who ended up at Chelsea and made a big play for Joao Pedro last month. Apparently willing to stump up a hefty £50m+, we knew Chelsea were sniffing around, but hoped they’d eventually look elsewhere. No such luck, though. The Brazilian chose Stamford Bridge, and while it’s a gut punch, we have to admit his profile and versatility would’ve been a brilliant fit.
Finding another player like him, at 23 with his potential, is proving to be a proper headache for the recruitment team, meaning we may end up pivoting to an out and out striker, instead of that versatile profile that Pedro offered.
So, with Pedro off the table, the rumour mill is churning out a couple of new names that have reportedly been discussed behind the scenes at St. James’ Park over the last fortnight: **Yoane Wissa** from Brentford and **Ollie Watkins** of Aston Villa, according to Craig Hope.
Now, before you get too excited, there are a few potential snags. Both would come at a significant cost and neither are young, with Wissa 28 and Watkins at 29.
The big question for Howe is: would a player like Watkins, in a World Cup year, really want to join a club where Isak is clearly our main man? That’s the crucial chat that needs to happen with any target in this position.
You’d hope the lure of Champions League football, playing under Eddie Howe, and the promise of plenty of minutes given our packed fixture list would be enough to persuade one of them, although I personally feel like Watkins is a total non-starter.
Wissa’s 31 goals in his last two seasons have earned him a shot at European football and he can also play out wide, but it seems Newcastle will face competition from Spurs, with former Bees boss Thomas Frank said to be keen.
Then there’s the name that just won’t go away: **Dominic Calvert-Lewin**. The 28-year-old is now a free agent after leaving Everton, and whispers suggest Newcastle do still like him. However, as of right now, there has been NO direct contact or talks, reports Craig Hope.
He’s definitely an option, but I don’t think he’s at the very top of the wishlist right now and rightly so if we want a reliable back-up to Isak.
Eddie Howe has always seen the potential in Calvert-Lewin, and with no transfer fee involved, it’s a potentially attractive deal despite his recent injury history, especially when we were discussing a £25m deal for the ex-England international just last summer.
It would be a calculated gamble on his fitness, that’s for sure, along with a move that would rely on Howe getting him back to his best after just three goals on Merseyside last season.
Then there is **Hugo Ekitike**. Targeted in 2022, much like Joao Pedro, it was reported on Wednesday night by Fabrizio Romano that we are still ken on the Frenchman, which came as quite a shock given his market value and recent rise.
However, we just can’t see this one happening. He’ll reportedly cost north of £60m after a 22-goal season with Frankfurt and Romano’s post felt like a favour for his agent to try and spark fresh interest.
I’m sure Newcastle still like him and would love him to join. We just can’t see one of Europe’s top young striker joining while Isak is still here as the top dog up top.
It’s going to be an interesting few weeks. Let’s hope those in charge get it right and bring us another goal-getter to fire us up the table and deeper into Europe!