Newcastle United’s striker crisis has handed William Osula an opportunity to impress

08:16, 28 Jul 2025Updated 08:17, 28 Jul 2025

William Osula led the line against Arsenal

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has sent young forward William Osula a firm message after the youngster again led the line for the Magpies in their latest pre-season game.

Danish attacker Osula is the only recognised central striker on United’s tour of Asia after Alexander Isak was left at home amid transfer speculation and a reported thigh injury.

Newcastle face a tough decision over Isak. Liverpool are waiting in the wings with the Swedish frontman having informed the Magpies that he wants to explore his options.

With Callum Wilson having departed St James’ Park after his contract expired, and Newcastle having failed so far in their bid to strengthen their attack, with Liam Delap and Joao Pedro opting to sign for Chelsea instead, it has left them incredibly light in the centre-forward position.

Osula has arrived back at the club after a great summer which saw him star at the Euro Under-21 championships for Denmark, scoring three times and assisting twice.

Now, he is getting his chance to shine for Newcastle. The 21-year-old started against Celtic where he missed a couple of chances, and was entrusted to lead the forward line again on Newcastle’s first game of their tour of Asia against Arsenal.

Howe was pleased with the youngster’s performance up against established Premier League defenders like William Saliba, and has told Osula he will get more opportunities to ‘showcase’ his ability with Isak absent.

“He’s getting more minutes than maybe he would if we had more players in that position,” Howe said. “It’s a great chance for him to showcase what he brings, what he’s about.

“I thought today was a much better performance from him from the Celtic game. I thought he looked fitter and sharper, naturally through the work that we’ve done.

“He had a couple of chances to score. His attitude was very good, and he looked hungry to get in the right positions to try and score. So, I thought he can be really pleased today.”

Newcastle remain unsure on Isak’s future, with a bid from Liverpool expected this week. Howe has admitted that owners PIF will have to make a decision that is best for the club, despite his desire to keep hold of his star man.

In the meantime, United are pushing on with their attempts to sign another forward. They remain in negotiations with Brentford over Yoane Wissa, who has expressed a desire to move to Tyneside after scoring 19 goals last season.

A move for RB Leipzig’s star striker Benjamin Sesko is also being explored and Newcastle will push ahead with that deal should they decide to cash in on Isak.

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