Eddie Howe has hinted many times that striker Callum Wilson is to return to action from the injury he picked up in pre-season and we'll be waiting with bated breath to hear if that time will actually come on Monday when the Newcastle United boss meets the press on Friday morning.
Newcastle fans' patience is wearing very thin with Callum Wilson who seems to spend more time injured than fit and as such there's a big feeling that it's time that the club moved on from the 32-year-old.
Will Osula was brought into the club in the summer as a third striking option, but Eddie Howe doesn't feel he's ready to shoulder the burden of being even second-choice yet, however, the absence of Wilson has pushed Osula into the first-team early.
It's clear we can't rely on Wilson to see out the season, but as strikers come at a premium, buying a new first-team striker in January is likely to be beyond Newcastle.
A six-month loan could be a possibility, however, and Football Transfers believes Newcastle could be handed a huge opportunity in January.
Randal Kolo Muani was a player on Newcastle's radar a couple of years ago, but the club never actively pursued a move for the Frenchman.
Ultimately, it was Paris Saint-Germain who bagged the Eintracht Frankfurt star after the Qatar World Cup for a whopping €95 million (£79 million).
Kolo Muani isn't having the best of times at PSG and it's now believed that Luis Enrique could offer the 25-year-old to clubs on a loan basis in January.
If there's a deal to be done there to see Newcastle through to the summer, then it's one worth looking at. Kolo Muani can play right across the front three, making him a good option if Eddie Howe needs to rest Alexander Isak, but also could provide fresh impetus on the right wing for a time.
The big issue is that it may take Kolo Muani time to get his confidence back and to adapt to the Premier League which is problematic when it's a short-term loan.
PL | GD | PTS | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Liverpool
|
11 | 15 | 28 |
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 |
Newcastle United
|
11 | 2 | 18 |
10 |
Fulham
|
12 | 0 | 18 |
11 |
Brentford
|
12 | 0 | 17 |
12 |
Manchester United
|
11 | 0 | 15 |
13 |
Bournemouth
|
12 | -1 | 15 |
14 |
West Ham United
|
11 | -6 | 12 |
15 |
Everton
|
12 | -7 | 11 |
16 |
Leicester
|
12 | -8 | 10 |
17 |
Wolves
|
12 | -8 | 9 |
18 |
Crystal Palace
|
12 | -7 | 8 |
19 |
Ipswich
|
11 | -10 | 8 |
20 |
Southampton
|
11 | -14 | 4 |