· 8 September 2025, 16:00
**Newcastle United left things very late in the summer transfer window to add options up front for this season.**
Callum Wilson left the club after his contract expired, and the longer the window went on, the more apparent it became that Alexander Isak's future lay elsewhere.
That left Eddie Howe with just one recognised striker on the books in the form of Will Osula, who still seems a way off from being the finished article.
Eddie Howe started the season with Anthony Gordon playing as a centre-forward before the England international picked up a three-game ban for a straight red card in the game against Liverpool. Suddenly, Newcastle's lack of a striker had become a huge issue.
Newcastle keen on Jean-Philippe Mateta
Crystal Palace will demand £40 million for Jean-Philippe Mateta
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In the last couple of days of the window, Newcastle spent £124 million on two strikers, Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade, and they blocked a deadline day move for Will Osula, ensuring that Howe has three strikers at hand for the season ahead.
However, the Magpies are now being linked with Crystal Palace forward Jean-Philippe Mateta, who is also being tracked by Leeds United and Aston Villa, according to [Caught Offside](https://www.caughtoffside.com/2025/09/07/aston-villa-newcastle-attacker-january-shortlist/).
Mateta has been a regular source of goals for Palace, and it's thought that they would demand £40 million 28-year-old, who is contracted until 2027.
Do we need to be looking at another striker addition?
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Between now and January, we'll have a better idea of how desperately we need to add another striker to the ranks. It will depend largely on Woltemade's development and injuries, but there's certainly scope to add another striker, especially if Osula is teetering on an exit.
For now, though, it feels a bit early for us to be eyeing another centre-forward before we've seen what the current crop can do.
We expect Wissa to be pretty prolific this season, and Woltemade will eventually chip in with a few goals himself. It's Osula who is the big mystery, as it just feels like it could go either way with him.