Newcastle United’s striker situation has dominated this summer’s transfer window.
Yoane Wissa has been linked up for weeks as the likely Callum Wilson replacement, but his arrival would not address the big question; who fills Alexander Isak’s boots should the Swede depart before September 1st?
Benjamin Sesko was the man Newcastle wanted, but Eddie Howe and the recruitment team have been forced to go back to the drawing board after the £70m Slovenian chose Manchester United instead.
One name that’s popped up since is Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson.
Reports suggest that the player is keen to join Newcastle United, with the striker up for sale and on offer for around £50m. But do we really want him?
The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards reports that Newcastle have ‘reservations’ about a move for the 24-year-old striker, questioning if he is anything like the same calibre as current star forward Alexander Isak.
Mark Douglas at the i reports something similar, revealing that Toon officials are anything but unanimous on a potential move for the Senegalese striker.
Statistically, he actually profiles quite similarly to Isak in terms of his pace, ability to carry the ball, press and run the channels, while his tally of 30 goals in two seasons are by no means bad.
However, with questions over his disciplinary record and his tendency to miss chances, the club may be wary of replacing Isak – arguably the best striker in Europe – with Chelsea’s third choice option who has had a very mixed start to life in the Premier League.
But, many will also argue that Newcastle are not going to directly replace Isak with a player of equal quality, especially not at this stage of the summer when Sesko, Ekitike, Pedro and others have already landed moves.
It’s a tricky situation and one we can’t get wrong as we weigh up whether Isak could yet reintegrate with the group – or continue to burn bridges as he has done up to this point.