Newcastle United lacked the firepower you might expect from a team without Alexander Isak’s potency on the opening day of the Premier League away at Aston Villa.
16 shots would pass Eddie Howe’s Magpies by during the 0-0 stalemate in the West Midlands, with Anthony Gordon having to line up as an out-and-out centre-forward in the absence of their Swedish star-man.
Despite the frustrating final scoreline, Howe would praise the togetherness of his Toon camp come the full-time whistle.
But, he will know, deep down, that a new striker is still a must, as the wasteful Magpies look to be closing in on a dangerous attacker to finally fill Isak’s void.
Newcastle close to signing £35m striker
It has been a bumpy transfer window of various signings that look to be wrapped up, then astonishingly falling to the wayside.
This heartbreak has regularly occurred involving the Toon’s ongoing pursuit of a fresh striker, with Joao Pedro and Liam Delap once being eyed up before Chelsea swooped in, while Benjamin Sesko was reportedly close to a Tyneside switch, before moving to Manchester United over St James’ Park.
All this agony would be swiftly swept under the carpet if Craig Hope’s recent development is to be believed, with the Daily Mail journalist stating on YouTube that he remains convinced by Yoane Wissa finally going to the Magpies next week, after being on Howe and Co’s shortlist all summer long.
Hope said: “I remain convinced he [Wissa] is going to come in next week.”
It remains to be seen how much Newcastle would have to cough up for the Congolese attacker’s services, with a price tag around the £35m mark previously being talked about.
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Adding in Wissa, no matter the amount, feels like the correct move to make to try to get the Isak situation under more control, with the 28-year-old already a well-established threat in the Premier League, much like his soon-to-be teammate Anthony Elanga.
How Wissa can be Elanga 2.0
Before going on to cost Howe’s men a whopping £55m this summer, Elanga was a wide-eyed attacker attempting to cut his teeth in the Premier League away from his boyhood Red Devils.
After all, Isak’s fellow Scandinavian compatriot would only muster up four goals and four assists in the senior scene at Old Trafford. At the City Ground, however, he would turn into a gung-ho treat to watch, not shackled by the expectation of attempting to be the next emerging star at the Theatre of Dreams.
Under Nuno Espirito Santo’s wing, Elanga would collect 11 goals and 21 assists wearing Garibaldi Red, with Howe hopeful he can strike gold again with another attacker who has risen up the ranks at the Bees and only gotten better with time in Wissa.
Staggeringly, Wissa’s debut season in the demanding English top-flight only saw him fire home two league goals as an out-and-out centre-forward.
Yet, with some successful tweaking by Frank, who was a transformative figure for the 28-year-old – much like Elanga under Nuno’s tutelage – he would manage to explode into life as a clinical, ice-cold centre-forward, next to his trusty sidekick in Bryan Mbeumo.
24/25
39
20
5
23/24
36
12
4
22/23
40
7
3
21/22
34
10
1
By being chucked into the XI as a main striker, Wissa has managed to reach heights even he wouldn’t have anticipated when leaving FC Lorient behind in 2021, with the “amazing” attacker – as he’s been recently labelled by Frank’s replacement in Keith Andrews – just fresh off a career-best season when firing home a blistering 20 efforts from 39 contests.
With Elanga on 12 assists in all competitions last season, too, this really could be a dream match-up, as the pair attempt to be new attacking heroes for the die-hard Magpies faithful to latch onto.
There will, of course, be a lot of pressure on Wissa’s shoulders to succeed, as the Toon masses crave a dream replacement for Isak.
But, he has soared under the strain of being Brentford’s main man previously, much like Elanga should look assured over a full season on Tyneside, too, having also taken his game to that next level in Nottingham.
