Newcastle United will need manager Eddie Howe at his brilliant best on the training pitch after coming to a decision over William Osula.
Osula is set to stay at Newcastle United this summer despite interest from Championship clubs, with decision-makers at St James’ Park viewing his time at the club as a gradual process. They want him to develop all while playing for the club on an elite level.
Newcastle United, of course, will face a much busier schedule next season after qualifying for the Champions League. As good as star striker Alexander Isak is, he cannot be expected to play every single game.
With that in mind, Howe will need to work magic on Osula.
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
Eddie Howe must work his magic as Newcastle United decide to keep William Osula
Newcastle rate Osula highly but he remains untested at the highest level.
Howe has been praised for transforming his Newcastle players, such is his ability to yield improvements out of the talents he works with on a day-to-day basis on the training ground.
Now, he’ll need to do so again. Howe thinks Osula is unpredictable and, while there’s clearly a talent there, he’ll need to polish his performances for a busy season ahead.
There will be no easy games, but Isak cannot start all of them. As it stands, Osula is set to be the Sweden star’s main back-up next season, with Callum Wilson set to depart.
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Newcastle want to sign a new striker but actually doing so has proven arduous. Quite how they land a big-name player who would happily serve as Isak’s back-up remains to be seen.
Howe’s side will be expected to go deep in all the cup competitions next season all while ensuring they improve on their fifth-placed finish in the Premier League. He needs depth, particularly up front.
The Newcastle United manager has proven himself able to improve players. There’s something to work with in regard to Osula, but he’ll need to make a major step-up ahead of next season.
Fabian Schar, Jacob Murphy and Sean Longstaff are just some of the players who have benefitted from Howe’s coaching. Now, it’s time for Osula to follow in their footsteps.
William Osula’s stats for Newcastle United
Three starts across all competitions last season yielded two goals and two assists. That’s a decent return, albeit one of the assists came after he messed up a brilliant chance against Birmingham in the FA Cup, with Wilson stepping in to apply the finish.
Osula is noted for his pace and the physicality he brings can be dangerous, as Birmingham found during that brilliant cup clash back in February.
Games Starts Minutes Played Goals Assists
19 3 413 2 2
William Osula’s stats for Newcastle United in 2024/25 season
There’s more to his game, too. His brilliant goal for Newcastle against Bromley pointed towards a player with excellent technical skills, so it’s clear there are some raw tools to work with.
Still, Newcastle don’t have time to waste. Even if they make new signings, they still need their existing players to step up. Howe’s coaching magic will be called upon again.