Newcastle United have a golden opportunity to strengthen their attacking options in January - if their current goal struggles continueplaceholder image
Newcastle United have a golden opportunity to strengthen their attacking options in January - if their current goal struggles continue | Getty Images/ Canva
Newcastle United have a golden opportunity to strengthen their attacking options in January - if their current goal struggles continue
Despite making huge strides in the Carabao Cup and Champions League, Newcastle United haven’t been able to click into gear in the Premier League in any way shape or form so far this season.
They are 13th in the table after 10 matches and have picked up just 12 points at this early stage. It’s three behind where the club were last season after a fairly subdued start and around five short of the tally that they were on at this point in both of Eddie Howe’s first two full seasons in charge.
It represents a poor start to the campaign, particularly following the 3-1 defeat away to West Ham, which was very much fitting of a Halloween horror-show from just about every player that got on to the pitch. Newcastle were unable to lay a glove on the Hammers at the London Stadium, which is a concerning statement when considering that prior to kick-off, the Hammers hadn’t won a single match at home since last February.
What’s going wrong for Newcastle United?
Newcastle United started the season in August without a recognised Premier League-proven striker after Alexander Isak left the club following a lengthy and tumultuous summer transfer saga. During that time, the Magpies fired blanks against Aston Villa and Leeds United - and fell to a valiant but ultimately demoralising 3-2 defeat at home to Liverpool when the inexperienced William Osula thought he’d secured a point for a brief fleeting moment.
Things have picked up slightly since the club-record signing of Nick Woltemade, who has lived up to the hype surrounding him so far, with a commendable four goals in his opening seven league matches. However, with the exception of Woltemade, Newcastle simply haven’t offered enough of a goal-scoring threat when playing in the league.
In Premier League matches, you have to go all the way back to 15 January for the last time Anthony Gordon registered a goal, while it’s now 18 games since he last registered an assist. The former Everton playmaker has been stepping up to produce in Europe but has looked nowhere near as potent in the league considering he’s a serious contender to play in Thomas Tuchel’s England side in next summer’s World Cup.
Elsewhere, Harvey Barnes is without a goal or an assist in the league this term. He too has looked good in Europe with three strikes on the continent but hasn’t managed a single goal contribution since April in the league.
Summer signing Anthony Elanga has also fired blanks since joining. Making Jacob Murphy, who was a backup when the season started, the only player that’s really lived up to expectations, with his goal being the one highlighted in an otherwise grim performance against the Hammers.
Newcastle United may need to sign a winger in January
Newcastle United have a wealth of attacking options in wide areas but at this stage neither of their players on the left hand side are proving that they deserve to start matches in the Premier League. They’ve failed to adapt to a change of style which at times see Woltemade drop deeper to receive the ball, and there simply hasn’t been enough movement around the German to utilise the creative aspect of his game.
Newcastle need to work on either finding a solution to this on the training ground or investing some of the money earned from the Isak sale on a winger that can provide a greater goalscoring threat.
One winger that the Magpies could look to target is AC Milan playmaker Rafael Leao. The 42-time Portuguese international is a former teammate of both Sandro Tonali and Malick Thiaw - two players that have proved worthwhile signings for the North East club, with the former in particular proving he’s one of the best in the business.
Leao is regarded as a skillful and technical player, capable of playing on either flank, and at times even through the middle which could be useful in an injury crisis - an ever-present threat in the modern day congested football calendar.
He is a tall and lean player at 6ft2, who has a burst and speed to match. Leao has scored 74 times and contributed 63 assists in 267 matches since joining Milan and has played 30 times for the club in the Champions League - notably reaching the semi-final of the competition in 2023. Leao was the joint-highest player in Serie A for goal-creating actions last season, and the highest in the 2023/24 campaign. He’s ranked inside the top eight for this metric in every season since the 2021/22 campaign.
That’s in stark contrast to both Gordon or Harvey Barnes, who both failed to rank inside the top 30 players in the league for goal-creating actions last season. For Gordon in particular it represents a monumental dip in form as he topped this metric in the Premier League during the 2023/24 campaign with 29.
Leao is currently playing for a Milan side that are not competing in any form of European competition after an eighth place finish last term. They have shown improvements this season since Massimo Allegri’s arrival but could potentially be tempted to sell if the price is right as proven in both the Tonali and Thiaw sagas. The 26-year-old was reportedly offered to Tottenham for around £61m before they went ahead and signed Xavi Simons over the summer - and he could potentially be available for a similar price if the Magpies emerged with interest.
Continue Reading