It’s not often that the losing side of a Premier League game so heavily outplays the current champions. Newcastle have been able to do that, and with only 10 men! (Arguably played against 12 men after the sending off, but we won’t get into that.) With that being said, just like against Aston Villa, we were crying out for an out-and-out striker. If Gordon didn’t get sent off there's a chance he could have been the answer to our attacking woes. With Gordon now missing the next 3 games we are even more desperate for a striker, and after Isak’s conversation with the ownership group it’s clear he won’t be returning.
As I have previously talked about, no striker is going to be able to come in and replicate what Isak has done at Newcastle, 31 goals in all competitions last season is going to be difficult to replace. At best we can “money-ball” his goals. For those who don’t know the A’s in the MLB replaced star players with multiple players who could create the stats they were looking for on aggregate. So we are looking for 2 players who can score 31 goals combined.
Price is a big part of our hunt being prolonged. Teams know we are hunting for a striker meaning they will take on an extra £10-15m to their players’ asking price. Biggest example of this is Wissa at Brentford. A transfer we thought we have been close to completing for a month now, but here we are and still not close. And with less than a week left of the transfer window left can the Magpies bring in a Wilson replacement? Let alone another striker on top of that?
Striker who could be Newcastle’s answer to the Isak saga
From what we have seen in the media it’s clear we are starting to really push for a striker. The latest big push being Jorgen Strand Larsen. The Norweigen has, as of writing this, just added another few million to his price tag with a brace late on in the Carabao Cup. In fact as I am typing this Keith Downie has tweeted that there has been an improved offer for JSL. After a £50m bid being rejected on Monday, a new £55m has been submitted and turned down. Wolves need to keep him to have a chance at staying up. I personally think £65m will be the minimum to pry him away from Wolves. Newcastle could encroach on overpaying for a position that needs filled.
I would really like him leading our line, standing at 6’4” JSL will love all the crosses our wingers will put into the box this season. Just look at the Liverpool game, cross after cross looking for a strikers finish. He proved against West Ham that he can function in different ways, a poachers goal from a rebound and a header from a cross, it’s exactly what we need. It does mean we move away from the kind of striker Isak is. What we gain in arial ability we lose in the dribbling department.
14 goals last season is no where near what we need, could he hit the ground running? He definitely could. PL experience is more than helpful and exactly what we are looking for. But how does he compare to some other potential targets? Compared to Nicolas Jackson and Yoanne Wissa his goals per 90 aren’t quite there. JSL has played in 10 more games than Jackson, just remember that. JSL scoring 0.44 p/90, Jackson at 0.49 p/90 and Wissa at 0.59 p/90. JSL however stands far above the others when it comes to shots on target percentage. A smaller amount of shots than the other two but 60.7% of his shots end up on target.
The Wolves striker can still improve, but if any manager can make strides with a player it is Eddie Howe. Currently my front runner to sign, although there is no urgency for the move from him or the club. Still waiting for dominoes to fall for the Wissa transfer to be completed, it looks less and less likely by the day. Two other names I’ve seen thrown around are Dusan Vlahovic and Artem Dovbyk. Neither transfer looks likely. Hopefully a signing can be made before Leeds or we may be in some trouble unless Will Osula can pull out some magic. If we manage to sign one of these strikers I do wonder what will happen to our interest in the other. Time will tell.