At the time of writing, there are currently only two senior strikers currently at Newcastle United: Alexander Isak and Will Osula.
Isak is, at best, unlikely to be seen until after September’s international break as he continues his strike against the club, and 18-year-old Sean Neave can’t be considered a regular option just yet as an U21 talent yet to appear in the league.
Which leaves Osula as the only striker option Eddie Howe has at his disposal at the moment, and given how raw he still is talent-wise, it makes sense why the gaffer is backing Anthony Gordon at no.9 right now.
Though any chance of Osula making an impact in our domestic campaign could evaporate very soon, as an interesting report from Germany is implying that the big Dane could be on the move this summer…
Sky Germany’s [Florian Plettenberg](https://x.com/Plettigoal/status/1959261350779068425) is reporting that Will Osula is ‘one to watch’ ahead of deadline day, as a potential move to Germany could be on the cards.
It would be quite a shock if he was sold and even more of a surprise if he heads to the side in question, with Plettenberg reporting that Bayer Leverkusen are considering a move, even if nothing is advanced at this stage.
Writing on X, he commented “The 22 y/o striker could still leave Newcastle in the coming days. There is also interest from the Bundesliga. Bayer 04 Leverkusen have him on their radar, but nothing is advanced yet.”
There’s been a mini exodus of players from Leverkusen since Erik ten Hag was appointed earlier this summer, with striker Victor Boniface departing for AC Milan – leaving an opportunity which Osula could fill.
This isn’t the first rumour we’ve seen this year of one of our top youngsters potentially departing for the Bundesliga: Lewis Miley was linked with a move back in April amidst reports he was frustrated over his lack of game time.
Osula could very well be in a similar situation: with Isak still expected to return to the squad and be reintegrated, Gordon being first choice striker at the moment, and our hunt for new goalscoring options still ongoing, Osula’s place in the striker hierarchy is certainly under threat.
Earlier this month, Howe made it clear that he liked good amounts of squad depth, as he told us all he wanted six midfield options to choose from.
So it would be a surprise if he wanted to cut his options in attack even further by letting Osula leave.
However, we did buy Osula for around £15m last summer, and any profit opportunity we could get for him now could go a long way in helping us buy a more Premier League-proven striker like Yoane Wissa or Jørgen Strand Larsen, which would be an immediate upgrade to our attack as we await to see just what happens with Isak.