Newcastle United’s transfer window plans have just got off to a disappointing start.
While the season ended in positive fashion for Newcastle United as they qualified for the Champions League, the start to the transfer window has already been rather dramatic.
Eddie Howe wants Newcastle to sign players quickly but actually doing so has proven difficult when it comes to Liam Delap. Indeed, Newcastle held talks to sign Delap, though it appears their pursuit has gone cold.
Delap is set to join Chelsea from Ipswich, with the striker having chosen to join the Blues this summer.
That is a blow for Howe. Newcastle planned to play Delap alongside Alexander Isak as they look to compete across a number of different fronts next season.
Still, Newcastle will go on. With that in mind, here’s a look at the potential winners and losers from the Delap situation.
Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
Winners from Liam Delap to Chelsea
William Osula
William Osula will surely be delighted at the news.
With Callum Wilson seemingly set to leave, Osula is Isak’s only back-up in the Newcastle United squad.
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Speaking before the defeat to Everton on the final day of the Premier League season, Howe said of Osula: “Will is Will. He’s unpredictable, he’s got touches and moments that can really hurt the opposition.”
Newcastle paid around £15million to sign Osula and, at some point, will surely want to see some kind of return on that investment.
Next season, there will be more games on the agenda. If Newcastle continue to struggle to sign a new striker, it stands to reason Osula will be getting more game time.
Newcastle value Osula’s potential and it’ll be interesting to see what kind of role he plays next season.
Sean Neave
Sean Neave is in a similar boat, albeit the teenager is slightly behind Osula in terms of experience.
There is excitement about the young striker. Neave has trained with Newcastle first-team and was included in the squad that won the Carabao Cup final at Wembley.
In 17 games across various youth competitions in the season just gone, the teenager scored an impressive 11 goals.
There’s obviously no guarantee he’d be able to replicate that at senior level but perhaps the Delap snub will boost his place in the pecking order.
Having seen Lewis Miley emerge from the academy into the first-team, it’s not completely out of the question Neave can do something similar.
Losers from Liam Delap transfer to Chelsea
Eddie Howe
Howe’s wish for Newcastle to sign targets quickly hasn’t come to fruition in regard to Delap.
That has to be seen as a blow. Clearly, it doesn’t mean Newcastle won’t go out and sign another striker but the fact a positional rival has landed one of his targets this early into the transfer window is obviously not a positive.
Delap was easily attainable by way of a release clause and could feasibly have arrived very quickly.
Now, however, it seems Newcastle have to go back to the drawing board. There will be other players who emerge as targets but it’s obviously an early blow.
Alexander Isak
Isak is so good that the arrival of a new striker is surely unlikely to have him fretting about his starting role.
However, he needs help up front. Towards the end of the season, the Sweden star was clearly not at his best but Newcastle kept having to turn to him regardless.
The idea of having to do that again next season – when there will be more games – is concerning.
The more support Isak has across the season, the better he will be.
Signing a back-up for a player that good cannot be easy considering he’s always likely to start when fully fit, but like most other players in the world there will be a point in the season in which Isak is struggling.