'What do you do with the third one?': Eddie Howe speaks up on striker issue with strange response

Newcastle United find themselves going into a Premier League match without a recognised striker yet again this season as they face Bournemouth this afternoon.

That is of course, unless Eddie Howe was downplaying Alexander Isak's return date in order to spring a surprise this afternoon, which is very plausible.

The information currently out there in the ether is that Callum Wilson and Isak will both miss today's game and with no third option, Anthony Gordon will likely be tasked with leading the line against Bournemouth.

Newcastle can not go into next season with just two strikers

It's a situation we've found ourselves in a few times this season and one that we absolutely should not have to face next year. The club simply must dip into the transfer market and ensure that we head into next season with three strikers in the squad.

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When Eddie Howe was pressed on this in his media briefing on Friday (via The Chronicle) he gave an odd response. It started out normal with him saying that strikers are expensive, that's a given, but it ended on a weird note for me.

"If you have an injury to one of the two strikers that we have then, of course, you're going to look at it and think, 'We need a striker. The issue that we have is they're usually very expensive and, then, if those two strikers are fit, what do you do with the third one?

"It's not as easy as, 'Do you need a striker? Let's go and get one' because we're having to be very smart with the money that we do have, with Financial Fair Play and putting that money into the best positions possible so it's a delicate balance."

That's what the bench is for, Eddie

What do you do with the third one? You sit them on the bench, Eddie, you're the boss, they do what you tell them to. Besides, if you're keeping hold of Callum Wilson it'll never be an issue because he'll be lying on the bed in the treatment room for most of the season.

We know that there is a delicate balance to be struck in the squad, not everyone is going to be happy as a benchwarmer, but every player understands how the game works, that they can't play every game. Having that extra striker is what we call a 'nice problem', you should experience it sometime.

If not upsetting a player is the reason for not signing a striker this summer then I honestly don't know what's going on anymore.