Newcastle United will have to wait for Yoane Wissa to send St. James' Park into a loud cheer with the first of surely many goals in black and white.
The DR Congo international signed for the Magpies in a £55m deal this summer, leaving Brentford after prolific returns across a number of seasons. He is the Bees' all-time top scorer in the Premier League, and against some stern competition at that. He is sidelined for several weeks, having picked up a knee injury on international duty earlier this month.
Brentford - All-time Prem Top Scorers
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Data via Transfermarkt
It's not ideal, but Nick Woltemade took to the Premier League like a duck to water at the weekend, and his arrival and performance suggest the bitter sale of Alexander Isak to Liverpool may well be overcome.
Why Newcastle signed Woltemade
Newcastle paid a club-record £69m fee to bring Woltemade over from Stuttgart in Germany. The 23-year-old boasts a unique attacking profile and scored 12 goals in the Bundesliga last season, starting only 17 times.
Whether he will match Isak's prolificness in the years to come is anyone's guess, but he started off strongly with a headed goal against Wolves on Saturday, sealing Newcastle's first win of the year.
Hailed as an "entertainer" by Bundesliga reporter Archie Rhind-Tutt, the 6 foot 6 striker showed more than his command of the skies, with Sofascore recording that he won five ground duels, made three tackles and completed eight of nine passes against the Old Gold.
Now, it's all about consistency, and Howe will know that internal pressure, applied carefully, will help him rise to the fore. The German has shown he can lead the line, but he needs competition.
Nick-Woltemade
But with Wissa out for the foreseeable, there's an interesting chance for a new star to step up and challenge Woltemade for a starting berth.
Newcastle talent is ready to challenge Woltemade
Up until Newcastle met Liverpool in the Premier League last month, William Osula had done very little on the senior stage to suggest he had the minerals to star as the club's number nine.
But the 22-year-old impressed when introduced on that highly-charged evening, darting through the Reds line and bundling in, leading Howe to remark on his "outstanding" progress on Tyneside.
Rangy, powerful and instinctive, he was once described by former teammate Curtis Davies as being like "a poor man's Haaland", and there is certainly some form of similarity to the Manchester City machine, easily the most clinical footballer competing today.
He's certainly got the personality and charisma to match a superstar like Haaland, and if Howe can unlock a degree of consistency, it might not only be Wissa knocking on Woltemade's door this season.
William Osula scores for Newcastle
Clearly having come on leaps and bounds since leaving Sheffield United and signing for the Toon in August 2024, Osula is the real deal, with a skillset that demands regular Premier League football, should he continue to make the same progress of recent months.
Having only made 23 senior appearances for Newcastle, the Frenchman has scored three goals and supplied two assists. He's off the mark in the Premier League.
The signs are promising, and Howe seems to think there is a player in there who might come knocking at Woltemade's door sooner rather than later.