Finding a striker who can light a fire under Alexander Isak on a regular basis is something Newcastle United must do within the next two transfer windows.
Alexander Isak always plays better when Callum Wilson is fit and pushing him for his starting place.
Unfortunately, that's such a rare occurrence these days thanks to Wilson's fitness issues. Even the striker the club signed in January isn't a threat to Isak's place so the Sweden international has seemingly been merely coasting this season - although with two goals in two games we're hoping he's turned a corner.
Will Osula looked sharp on Wednesday in his brief cameo against Chelsea, hitting the post late on capping off a brilliant move, but Eddie Howe doesn't believe he's fully ready for the rigours of the Premier League just yet.
Callum Wilson keeps suffering setback after setback in his bid to return to action and it has got to the point where many Newcastle fans are simply fed up and believe it's time to let him go.
The lack of other options makes this tricky, however which is why Newcastle are currently shopping for a new striker and they have just added their name to a list of Premier League sides keen on once-capped Brazil international Yuri Alberto of Corinthians, according to The Boot Room.
Yuri Alberto has seen three separate moves to the Premier League collapse in as many transfer windows, but the interest is still strong for the 23-year-old who has 24 goals in 51 appearances this season in Brazil.
With Wilson's contract expiring in the summer we'd be dumbfounded if he was offered an extension which means the Magpies need to get a move on finding a replacement, and Yuri Alberto could be a very cost-effective option.
Southampton had a deal on the table in the summer for Alberto for £17 million but couldn't make the finances work. It's likely that the price won't have changed much now so Newcastle could probably afford to do the deal in January along with the much-needed right-winger.
They would face competition from Everton, Nottingham Forest, Brentford and West Ham, but you'd think we'd be the most attractive option on the table there, especially if we bag Bryan Mbeumo too.
PL | GD | PTS | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Liverpool
|
14 | 18 | 35 |
2 |
Chelsea
|
15 | 17 | 31 |
3 |
Arsenal
|
15 | 14 | 29 |
4 |
Manchester City
|
15 | 6 | 27 |
5 |
Nottingham Forest
|
15 | 1 | 25 |
6 |
Aston Villa
|
15 | 0 | 25 |
7 |
Brighton
|
15 | 3 | 24 |
8 |
Bournemouth
|
15 | 3 | 24 |
9 |
Brentford
|
15 | 3 | 23 |
10 |
Fulham
|
15 | 2 | 23 |
11 |
Tottenham Hotspur
|
15 | 12 | 20 |
12 |
Newcastle United
|
15 | -2 | 20 |
13 |
Manchester United
|
15 | 1 | 19 |
14 |
West Ham United
|
15 | -8 | 18 |
15 |
Everton
|
14 | -7 | 14 |
16 |
Leicester
|
15 | -9 | 14 |
17 |
Crystal Palace
|
15 | -6 | 13 |
18 |
Ipswich
|
15 | -13 | 9 |
19 |
Wolves
|
15 | -15 | 9 |
20 |
Southampton
|
15 | -20 | 5 |