The answer is Will Osula | OneFootball

So, it is apparent that we have a striker crisis at Newcastle United.

A pressing matter with less than week to go until the transfer window shuts.

During the ongoing Alexander Isak “situation” and our so far fruitless attempt to get a replacement for either he, Callum Wilson, or both, manager Eddie Howe actually has a few options to solve the problem short-term.

The first would be to play Joelinton up front. Not as barmy as you’d think. He’s played there before (albeit with minimal success) and he CAN score goals when not relied on heavily to do so. Jacob Ramsey being brought in to cover Joey’s position allows the option somewhat. Not ideal, but viable.

So far, the other solution is to play Anthony Gordon through the middle. This is what we have been seeing so far and whilst it takes away his good work on the flanks, it is a viable option. Not ideal, but viable.

So imagine the incredible bad luck after last night, that now we CAN’T call on either of those options for the foreseeable future. Gordon is out for three games with a senseless red card and Joelinton could be out for even longer. Scratch both options.

What’s the next fallback option? Anthony Elanga? Harvey Barnes? Can Dan Burn play centre-forward? Forgive me for panicking.

Many have stated that (if signed) Yoane Wissa is to be Wilson’s replacement. All well and good but I fear we may be getting one striker in this summer and that’s it. This would be to cover the petulant outcast that is Alexander Isak. I’d venture that many fans would be horrified at this, as we really need two.

Back to the here and now and we need a striker. We face Leeds at teatime on Saturday and, like I’ve said, playing Elanga or Barnes for me is NOT an option and I would hope it’s not for Eddie Howe either.

The solution, if we’d kept him, would have been Callum Wilson, but I agreed that it was time to move him on due to his injuries. This is why we’ve courted Wissa with the “Isak Situation” necessitating a “bigger” signing required to plug his eventual departure. We could easily have the Wilson replacement in Will Osula and in turn we can begin to question the value and legitimacy of paying the frankly outrageous sum of £40m for a 29 year old Yoane Wissa who only has a year left on his contract. That’s before you get me started on the thought of signing Wolves’ Jorgen Strand Larsen for £60m.

The answer is Will Osula.

Some fans may hate the idea but it’s now being presented as a very real reality, especially in the short-term. Brace yourself lads and lasses, with a petulant child causing problems by effectively going on strike AND (in my opinion) some unfavourable deals being looked at, it may be the way forward until the start of 2026. If you don’t like that, then prepare to pay over the odds for someone this week, or we’ll have big problems.

So far during his time as Newcastle United manager, Eddie Howe has hardly put a foot wrong. I’ve disagreed with some substitutions he’s made obviously. But no manager we’ve ever had escapes that. He’s been exemplary and he’s certainly played the ultimate politician and professional in the whole Isak affair, but if I have a critique of something, it’s that last season we didn’t bed in Will Osula often enough, if at all, instead preferring the relative carthorse (no offence) that was Callum Wilson. Plenty of matches, he could have got game time when United had the win secure well before the final whistle, but rarely did. We are partially paying the price for that now.

A few moments to highlight –

Against Ipswich away we were 4-0 with well over half an hour remaining. Will Osula unused.

At home to Crystal Palace, we demolished them 5-0 and were 4-0 up at half-time. Osula unused.

Against Manchester United we were 4-1 up with 15 minutes to go, Wilson came on and Will Osula was unused.

Osula indeed came on at home to Ipswich in a 3-0 home win and scored within minutes.

Now he has proved he can score against the Champions just a few minutes after coming on. In our current situation, he needs to be playing and playing NOW.

Now I know you can highlight games where he’s come on and NOT done anything, but there is something there and we NEED a striker.

Unless Eddie Howe does something totally drastic and/or we get a new signing in, Will Osula has to be started up front against Leeds United on Saturday.