Reports on Sunday emerged suggesting that Newcastle United forward William Osula could leave the club, with interest from the Bundesliga.
With the striker situation being as desperate as it is, the talk of losing another one is far from a welcome prospect for Newcastle United fans.
William Osula joined Newcastle for £10million in 2024, but was not given a single Premier League start by Eddie Howe in his first season at the club. Despite that, the young Dane looked fierce whenever he was given minutes on the pitch, even scoring a magnificent looping header in a 3-0 win against Ipswich Town.
As it stands, Osula is one of Eddie Howe’s few options up front, with Alexander Isak training away from the first team in pursuit of a move to Liverpool. However, Anthony Gordon is favoured over Osula, and will likely start ahead of him for the St James’ Park clash against the Reds on Monday.
Reports in Germany suggest that Bayer Leverkusen are interested in Osula, with Victor Boniface completing a medical with AC Milan. While Isak will surely be a big loser if the deal goes through, another player will be equally livid.
Anthony Elanga and William Osula on board a plane for Newcastle United's pre-season tour.
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Anthony Elanga will not be happy if William Osula leaves Newcastle United
In July, Anthony Elanga became Newcastle’s first major signing in almost two years, joining from Nottingham Forest for a fee of £55m including add-ons. The 23-year-old could not contain his excitement when joining and linking up with dear friend Osula on Tyneside.
When the deal was announced, Osula shared videos of Elanga modelling a Newcastle shirt before he had even signed, suggesting there was only one destination for him this summer.
However, the winger will no doubt be livid if Osula goes this summer, as he would not have had a chance to play alongside his dear friend in a competitive game. Osula and Elanga regularly interact on social media, something they were known for even before the latter joined Newcastle.
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Elanga is sure to be disappointed that he has not played with Isak yet, and will need to find a new friend on Tyneside if Osula goes. It remains to be seen whether Osula will stay or leave Newcastle this summer, but Howe will surely be reluctant to let him go with the striker situation as bad as it is.
Fans are still waiting to see Anthony Elanga and Alexander Isak play together
On Friday, Howe confirmed that Isak will not be in the Newcastle squad against Liverpool, with the transfer situation carrying on for yet another week. The Sweden international is training away from his teammates, despite Howe’s clear messages that he is happy to welcome Isak back to first-team training whenever he is ready.
When Elanga signed, there was a lot of excitement about the winger playing in attack with Isak. The pair have already played together for the Sweden national team, and have great chemistry. Unfortunately, the summer transfer saga means that the pair have not played together at all since Elanga’s arrival.
Had Isak played in Newcastle’s draw with Aston Villa, the result may have been completely different, and fans would be looking back at Elanga’s debut with a more positive feeling.
The hope is that Isak can come to his senses before the transfer window closes, stick in and reintegrate himself into Newcastle training before returning to the matchday squad in the next few games.
But there sadly seems to be no end in sight for this transfer saga.