The summer transfer window is creeping up on us as this Premier League season draws to a close and Newcastle United have to big calls to make on existing squad members.
With Financial Fair Play seriously hindering Newcastle's ability to be active in the transfer window, Eddie Howe will have to look to offload some squad members if he wants to bring in the players he needs to reshape the squad.
Players like Jeff Hendrick, Isaac Hayden and Jamal Lewis are obvious choices, but players closer to the first team could be at risk too with reports surrounding a potential exit for Sean Longstaff currently doing the rounds.
However, one player who has been hotly tipped to leave this summer may have a stay of execution according to Football Insider.
Callum Wilson came close to a St James' Park exit in January as Atletico Madrid were keen to take him to Spain, but that move would have left the Magpies with no cover for Alexander Isak.
Wilson would then go on to pick up an injury that's kept him out for two months so that point is moot now anyway, although he is expected to be close to a return to action.
Now Peter O'Rourke has said that he's been told that Eddie Howe is keen to keep hold of the England striker despite his contract running down and his poor injury record.
This summer would likely be the last chance we have to get any decent amount of money for Wilson, but, Newcastle are already short of strikers so letting Wilson go would mean having to sign two strikers this summer, and there aren't many Premier League-proven strikers around, and certainly not many that suit the Magpies' budget.
It makes sense then that Howe would prefer to keep Wilson around and then only have to bring in one striker, especially as there are still several other positions that need strengthening before next season.
We expect that Howe will sign another striker this summer and they will go above Wilson in the pecking order given his age and the fact that strong winds put him out of action for months at a time.
PL | GD | PTS | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Liverpool
|
12 | 16 | 31 |
2 |
Manchester City
|
12 | 5 | 23 |
3 |
Chelsea
|
12 | 9 | 22 |
4 |
Arsenal
|
12 | 9 | 22 |
5 |
Brighton
|
12 | 5 | 22 |
6 |
Tottenham Hotspur
|
12 | 14 | 19 |
7 |
Nottingham Forest
|
12 | 2 | 19 |
8 |
Aston Villa
|
12 | 0 | 19 |
9 |
Fulham
|
12 | 0 | 18 |
10 |
Newcastle United
|
12 | 0 | 18 |
11 |
Brentford
|
12 | 0 | 17 |
12 |
Manchester United
|
12 | 0 | 16 |
13 |
Bournemouth
|
12 | -1 | 15 |
14 |
West Ham United
|
12 | -4 | 15 |
15 |
Everton
|
12 | -7 | 11 |
16 |
Leicester
|
12 | -8 | 10 |
17 |
Wolves
|
12 | -8 | 9 |
18 |
Ipswich
|
12 | -10 | 9 |
19 |
Crystal Palace
|
12 | -7 | 8 |
20 |
Southampton
|
12 | -15 | 4 |