Newcastle United came close to selling William Osula to Eintracht Frankfurt on deadline day, before the deal broke down.
It has been a strange year for the 22-year-old on Tyneside, having joined for £10m from Sheffield United ahead of the 2024/25 season.
However, William Osula has had the opportunity to impress for Newcastle United in recent months due to Alexander Isak’s summer-long transfer saga, which ended in him moving to Liverpool on deadline day.
The Dane is now Newcastle’s third-choice striker following the arrivals of Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa late into the window, leaving his chance of game time in the balance. On deadline day, reports surfaced that Newcastle were close to selling Osula to Eintracht Frankfurt, with a deal in the region of £30m in the offing.
Frankfurt backed out of the deal in the end, with it being confirmed that Newcastle were happy to loan Osula out with an obligation to buy. With Osula staying on Tyneside, Frankfurt sporting director Timmo Hardung has explained why he opted against the move.
William Osula looks on before an international game between Scotland and Denmark.
Photo by Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Frankfurt chief says he did not panic about signing William Osula
Recent reports surfaced stating that Newcastle wanted a £4.3m loan fee with a £17.3m obligation for Osula. The deal was deemed too risky, but Frankfurt could explore a deal for Osula in January.
Eddie Howe was impressed with Osula against Leeds United, his first Premier League start for the Magpies, but it did not stop his recruitment team from trying to make a deal for him.
Osula is a good cover option for Newcastle, especially given the busy schedule for this season.
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On Frankfurt’s official podcast, Hardung explained his decision-making process on deadline day.
“For something like this to go through, all the parameters have to be right,” he said.
“We kept an eye on the market.
“Throughout the day, doors kept opening, and we briefly looked into the cracks and saw where it might lead. In the end, we closed the door.
“Things are getting wilder and crazier on the last day of transfers. But we didn’t wake up in the morning panicking that we still had to sign one, two, three or four players. And that’s why there was no reason to be upset in the evening.”
No joy for William Osula on international duty after first Newcastle United start
Like many other Newcastle players, Osula is away from Darsley Park on international duty. Denmark played Scotland at Hampden Park on Friday evening in an important World Cup qualifier. However, the striker was named on the bench for the game.
The game finished 0-0, but Osula did not get the opportunity to come on and make an impact on the game. Brian Riemer opted for Rasmus Hojlund over Osula, but even the Napoli man was unable to break the deadlock.
Osula is in with a shout of playing in Denmark’s next game against Greece on Monday evening, where he could reunite with Newcastle goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos, who is currently on loan at Sevilla.
While Frankfurt were closest to a deal, Aston Villa were also interested in Osula, but their PSR troubles forced them to back out of the deal.
It is clear that the 22-year-old has a long way to go before becoming a top Premier League player, but he will not stop in his efforts.