'Turbulent': Eddie Howe admits that Will Osula was close to leaving Newcastle United late in summer window
Fate is a funny thing. Newcastle United came close to losing Will Osula on the final day of the transfer window as a move to Eintracht Frankfurt looked to be in the offing.
The Danish star was ready to move to the Bundesliga on loan, but when Frankfurt refused to add a £17m obligation to buy to the deal, Newcastle pulled the plug and Osula remained on Tyneside.
That turned out to be music to Eddie Howe's ears as the gaffer didn't particularly want Osula to leave, but he understood the player's reasons for wanting to move on in search of more regular minutes.
Just days later, Yoane Wissa would pick up an injury on international duty, leaving the Magpies short of options up front. Had Osula moved to Frankfurt, Eddie Howe would have been in serious trouble.
Eddie Howe says Will Osula has applied himself well after his move to Germany fell apart
Right now, Osula is Newcastle's top scorer this season after the pacey forward added to the goal he scored against Liverpool with a brace against Bradford last night.
Speaking after the game (via The Chronicle), Howe acknowledged the near miss on deadline day and went on to say how well Osula has done to apply himself after missing out on his move.
"He's progressing really well. It was a slightly turbulent end to the transfer window for him, but he took his goals really well against Bradford.
"Will is very driven, he has a great attitude to his work and his career. He is very ambitious, and he wants to play as all players do.
"He is now justifying that with his training performances, we have done a lot of work with him and will continue to do that with him to be the very best player he can be."
Will Osula has a lot of talent, but isn't quite 'there' yet
There's still a feeling that Osula is a bit too 'raw' for a regular starting place, but he showed last night that he's got a lot to his game and could provide the team with a very different option up top.
Osula moved out to the right flank in the latter stages and looked equally comfortable out there as he did through the middle, and at one point showed some stunning footwork to breeze past three Bradford defenders.
We've often sung the praises of Osula when others have been quick to put him down. We can definitely see that there's a player in there, and we're confident Eddie Howe will get the best out of him. It's already starting to show.
