We’re now less than a fortnight away from Newcastle United kicking off their Premier League campaign with back-to-back games against Aston Villa and Liverpool.
And unfortunately for Eddie Howe, the squad and the entire Toon fanbase, no one quite knows who will be leading the line for either of those games.
Alexander Isak has returned to training on Monday morning, set for a big summit with Howe over his future, whilst the recruitment team are hard at work trying to bring replacements in in the form of Benjamin Sesko and Yoane Wissa.
On the potentially new duo, Alan Shearer has weighed in on if he feels Sesko and Wissa will a strong enough replacement for Isak, and if their signings would spare the club’s blushes after what he calls a “disastrous” transfer window.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Shearer seems to think that whilst Wissa is a safe option to add to the squad, Sesko is a much riskier acquisition.
Should Isak leave this summer, he’s certainly left some big shoes to fill, hence why we’re looking at both players to try and match or surpass last season’s top scorer.
“Wissa and Sesko in, then that ultimately will be decent business,” Shearer said.
“But you know he (Wissa) can do it in the Premier League which adds up to a lot and I know Sesko is a lot younger and it would be more of a gamble on him because you’re going to have to pay a decent sized fee for him,” he added.
“I saw him two or three times in the Champions League last season and there’s definitely room for improvement. Yes, there’s certainly a talent there but there’s a lot of improvement that can be made and you’re bringing in somebody that’s unknown to the Premier League and that’s always going to be a bit of a risk.”
Shearer, much like the rest of us, is clearly annoyed at the lack of activity and success in this summer’s transfer market.
Despite big ambitions at the beginning of the window, missing out on the likes of Liam Delap, Bryan Mbeumo, Hugo Ekitike and James Trafford has greatly harmed our image and position compared to the rest of the Premier League
“Up to now it’s been a disastrous window for Newcastle. It was meant to be the time we kicked on with heavy investment and hopefully go to another level. It’s been anything but that to be honest.”
“They’ve missed out on several first-choice targets, so up to now it’s been really poor. Their transfer window has been a mess.”
The potential signings of Sesko and Wissa afford the recruitment team the opportunity to at least save some face with the fans and club hierarchy for their lack of success this summer.
But Brentford’s only need to find a direct replacement for Wissa, coupled with Manchester United’s interest in Sesko, still threaten to disrupt proceedings – let’s hope that the club can wrap any and all potential signings quickly before things get messy.