Newcastle United might have left it until the 11th hour, but they did manage to sign both strikers they targeted in the summer transfer window. The first centre-forward the Magpies brought in was Nick Woltemade, who joined the club from German outfit Stuttgart for a club-record fee of £69m, including add-ons.
The other number nine signed by Eddie Howe's side this summer was Brentford and DR Congo star Yoane Wissa. The striker only got his move through on deadline day after failing to turn up to Brentford training to force through a move. He was successful eventually and switched to St James’ Park for £55m.
Brentford striker Yoane Wissa
However, the two strikers Newcastle actually wanted at their disposal this season were Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike.
Why Newcastle wanted Isak and Ekitike
There was one point in the summer when Newcastle fans were dreaming of both Isak and Ekitike donning that famous Black and White shirt at St James’ Park.
For much of the window, they insisted that Isak was not for sale and had made a bid to sign Ekitike.
Alexander-Isak-Newcastle
As it happened, both players have ended up moving to Liverpool.
It will no doubt have been a move that stung the Newcastle faithful, especially since Isak made his desire to leave abundantly clear and Ekitike scored for the Reds up in the North East at the start of the season.
In terms of why Howe would have wanted both forwards in his squad this season, the answer is simple. They are clinical strikers who would have added plenty of goals to the side. Last season, Isak bagged 23 times in the Premier League, and Ekitike scored 15 Bundesliga goals.
In the end, Liverpool signed both players, making their attacking unit incredibly deadly. Newcastle fans can only dream of that pairing at St James’ Park, and whilst Wissa and Woltemade are excellent strikers, the Isak and Ekitike duo would have been a mouthwatering prospect.
Ekitike-Liverpool-Bournemouth-Premier-League
In hindsight, Newcastle may wish they still had a former striker who was also incredibly clinical last term.
Newcastle may regret selling their own Isak & Ekitike
In recent seasons, the Magpies have sold players whom they may regret moving on, in hindsight. One of the best examples of that right now is Elliot Anderson, who has shone at Nottingham Forest and is now an England international.
Well, going back a bit further, Newcastle fans might wish they had kept hold of former striker Ayoze Perez. The Spaniard played in the North East for five seasons between 2014 and 2019, before departing for Leicester City for £30m at the end of the 208/19 season.
Ayoze Perez-1
His record on Tyneside was certainly respectable. The Spain international played 195 games for the club, and scored 45 goals in that time, chipping in with 17 assists.
His best goalscoring campaign in the Premier League saw him score 12 goals in his final year.
Now 32 years of age, the striker plies his trade back in his home country and was a key man for Villarreal last season. He bagged 19 top-flight goals in La Liga and chipped in with two assists, in just 30 games.
In terms of his underlying stats, they show just how dangerous a centre-forward Perez has really become. For example, averaged 0.87 goals per game in La Liga last season, which ranks him in the top 7% of strikers.
Perez - La Liga stats 24/25
Stat (per 90)
Goals
Shots on target
Goals per shot
Goals per shot on target
Expected goals
Stats from FBref
To further contextualise those numbers, he outscored Ekitike last season and bagged just four goals fewer than Isak, with both players noted as statistically similar to him among those in their position in Europe, as per FBref.
Garth Crooks once described Perez as a “fox in the box”, and it is easy to see why, given how consistently he can find the back of the net.
Ayoze Perez
Had Newcastle kept hold of Perez, then they may have been spared from the painful summer that consisted of losing out on key targets and having to sell their best player. In hindsight, Perez could have been the perfect option to solve their striking issues.