Newcastle United's 2024/25 campaign has been much underwhelming than they would have hoped. Although the club had been getting crucial points in the initial games of the season, being winless in the last 4 games has been detrimental to pulling them down to the 8th PL position. Even though their performances have seen a positive gradual increase in the recent games, their poor finishing upfront has cost them crucial points.
Newcastle United could receive a massive boost ahead of their Stamford Bridge trip
Be it the game against Everton, where Newcastle lacked the presence of a conventional number 9 upfront, or even in their recent outing against Brighton, the club's awful final-third presence has been hurting them a lot. Although star forward Alexander Isak's return in the Brighton fixture was hoped to relieve their goal scarcity, the Swedish star couldn't have a significant impact on his return.
Talking of the available solutions for Newcastle United, who didn't improve much in the summer window, they would need to operate with the existing ones at least till January. In such a scenario, with star winger Anthony Gordon's form being inconsistent and Isak being much out of touch, the most probable solution for them is to have veteran star Callum Wilson return as early as possible. However, recent reports regarding the player's return sound in Newcastle's favor, him being close to a return.
Wilson, who has been in the final stages of his recovery, wasn't forced for the Brighton game; however, chances are significant that the player might return for the Magpies club ahead of their Chelsea matchday. After the disappointing loss to Brighton, manager Eddie Howe updated on Wilson's fitness, saying,
"“He’s close; he’s trained and looked really good. But collectively, we have to make a decision for the long-term interest of Callum. We don’t want to push him too early, so let’s see how he does this week.""Eddie Howe
For Newcastle United, Wilson's return would not only help the club's squad strength, but given the natural goal scorer he is, he can push star forward Alexander Isak for a starting place in the XI. Eddie Howe, being much aware of the veteran forward's utility in his setup, mentioned this on Wilson's potential return,
"“It’ll be massive for us. You could see today, if we had a fit and firing Callum Wilson available, either starting or coming off the bench, it’s going to lift our performance—especially with his leadership qualities.”"Eddie Howe
Overall, the recent updates regarding Wilson's injury recovery have been significantly crucial in Newcastle's interest. The Magpies club fans, being scheduled to take on Big 6 clubs Chelsea and Arsenal next, would hope to have Wilson return soon, helping the side with his brilliance in the final third.