Newcastle United have scored 19 goals this season, but many of those goals have come from unlikely scorers.
Newcastle United have the second-worst offensive record in the Premier League when it comes to scoring goals. The Magpies have only managed to score 19 goals in 23 matches, with three of those goals coming against Cardiff City on Saturday. Rafa Benitez is desperate for a playmaker who can score goals and create chances for others to walk through the doors during this transfer window, but Newcastle are cutting it close.
For the time being, however, a wide range of players have been scoring goals for the Magpies. Let us take a look at all our goal scorers this season and predict if they will continue to add more goals to their tally. Fun fact: 58% of Newcastle’s goals this season have come from three players, and one of them is primarily a substitute.
Strikers
Newcastle’s strikers have combined to score eight goals this season. Salomon Rondon leads the team with five goals, whereas Joselu has scored twice and Yoshinori Muto has scored one goal this season. Rondon has been playing well and he is the most likely candidate to score in double-digit figures upon the conclusion of the season. Muto is not meeting expectations, but we can only hope that he will pick up the slack in the last few months.
Midfielders
Ayoze Perez leads the pack in midfield with three goals this season and the only other midfielder who scored this season is Kenedy. The lack of goals from midfield are a major reason why Newcastle are struggling to win games and find themselves 17th in the table. Last season, several midfielders scored goals, but Mohamed Diame, Jonjo Shelvey, Matt Ritchie and Christian Atsu have all failed to score a single goal this season. If Newcastle want to avoid relegation this must change quickly.
Defenders
Three defenders have combined forces to score six goals for Newcastle this season. Ciaran Clark, who is not a regular starter, leads the back-line with three goals and is surprisingly tied for being the second-highest scorer on the team.
Fabian Schar has contributed with two impressive goals this season and DeAndre Yedlin has also scored a goal. Any goals that come from defense are much appreciated and Benitez can only hope that these unlikely scorers continue to take opponents off guard.