Newcastle United are now facing another tranche of games without Alexander Isak after the Sweden international went off injured in last night's loss to Dortmund.
Although the term 'injury crisis' may be a tad extreme right now, there's no denying that Newcastle are considerably weakened by injuries with Harvey Barnes, Sven Botman, Jacob Murphy, Elliot Anderson, and Alexander Isak all on the treatment table.
There are casualties in every third of the pitch, but while there are numbers in defence and midfield to plug any gaps—providing the remainder of the squad stays fit—the same cannot be said for the striking options.
The Magpies went into this season with just two recognised strikers in Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak.
Eddie Howe, like most modern managers prefers to play with one striker flanked by two advanced wingers so as long as both are fit he's covered. However, Wilson and Isak haven't been known for their consistent availability since arriving on Tyneside, and not having a third option was always going to be a risk.
Now with Isak, who'd only just returned from injury, set to be out until December again, that leaves Howe with just Wilson as a recognised striker. Given how frequently the games are coming now, that's a huge worry.
However, The Shields Gazette has reported that the club may have identified an answer to their problem and could make their move in January.
Newcastle have identified the Bundesliga's top scorer Serhou Guirassy as a £20 million option for the winter window. The 27-year-old Stuttgart striker this year broke Robert Lewandowski's record for most goals at the start of a season.
He currently has 14 goals and one assist in just eight Bundesliga games putting him well ahead of Harry Kane's nine goals.
With figures like that, Dan Ashworth and Co. could be set to face some steep competition for his signature in January, but given how their lack of options up front has been exposed, they may push hard to get a deal done.
Whether it be Guirassy or someone else, there's no doubt we could do with another striker.
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 | -9 | 16 |
15 |
Everton
|
14 | -7 | 14 |
16 |
Leicester
|
15 | -9 | 14 |
17 |
Crystal Palace
|
15 | -6 | 13 |
18 |
Wolves
|
15 | -14 | 10 |
19 |
Ipswich
|
15 | -13 | 9 |
20 |
Southampton
|
15 | -20 | 5 |