Newcastle United spent over £120m on strikers in the summer, but could they already be targeting another?
Newcastle United spent big on strikers in the summer, but already, it appears they’re in the market for another.
The sale of Alexander Isak to Liverpool often felt inevitable, and coupled with the departure of Callum Wilson at the end of his contract, Eddie Howe was always going to need two new No.9s. That’s exactly what Newcastle delivered, spending over £120million on Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa. The former has made a great start to life at St. James’ Park, registering five goals in nine matches across all competitions, while the latter is unfortunately yet to make his debut due to injury.
Newcastle United linked with Jean-Philippe Mateta
Jean-Philippe Mateta is reportedly attracting interest from Newcastle United among others.placeholder image
Jean-Philippe Mateta is reportedly attracting interest from Newcastle United among others. | Getty Images
According to Caught Offside (via 3 Added Minutes), Crystal Palace are preparing for life without Jean-Philippe Mateta. The Frenchman has been a great source of goals in the Oliver Glasner era, bagging 37 times in 72 appearances across all competitions under the Austrian - including five in eight Premier League outings this season.
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However, Mateta is now into the last 18 months of his contract and is understood to be ‘unlikely to engage’ in discussions over a new deal.
That has reportedly alerted Newcastle United, with Mateta possibly available for a cut-price £40m transfer in January. However, the Magpies look set to face competition from Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. It’s understood that United are already having doubts over Benjamin Sesko, who has scored just two goals in nine appearances across all competitions this season. Meanwhile, Newcastle are thought to hold reservations about Wissa’s long-term fitness - despite only signing the DR Congo international this summer.
Should Newcastle United pursue Jean-Philippe Mateta?
On the surface, a striker of Mateta’s quality being available for potentially just £40m feels like a mouth-watering prospect for Newcastle. However, the Magpies spent huge sums on strikers this summer, and one of them has already hit the ground running in Woltemade. What’s more, Wissa is not going to be sidelined forever. In fact, we could see the former Brentford man back in action as early as Newcastle’s away clash at West Ham on 2nd November, with Wissa already training on grass.
“We think he will be back during this period of games before the next international break,” Howe recently said of Wissa’s fitness, adding: "We don't know exactly when that will be, but we expect him to [be back soon], if he doesn't suffer any ill effects from anything he is doing."
With that in mind, a move for Mateta feels almost impossible for Newcastle this January. In fact, it would be ill-advised given the amount already spent on strikers, coupled with any potential additions Howe would like to make in other areas of the pitch. Before that fixture with West Ham, Newcastle take on Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur at home, in the Premier League and EFL Cup, respectively, following on from their impressive 3-0 Champions League win over Portuguese giants Benfica.
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