It bears testament to Eddie Howe’s tactical nous and management skills that Newcastle United have made headway throughout the first few chapters of the 2024/25 campaign without ever really rising from second gear.
The next few months will serve as a proper yardstick of where Newcastle’s direction is headed this term, however, but one thing’s for certain, Howe might come to rue the failure to bolster up front this summer.
William Osula was signed from Sheffield United in a £15m package, but the 21-year-old striker lacks polish and fluency and falls under the bracket of ‘work in progress’.
Newcastle's attack in 2024/25
Newcastle needed to strengthen their frontline with some meat, but didn’t. That said, he avoided the loss of Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon, with both hotly pursued after the 2023/24 campaign.
Isak is one of the Premier League’s best strikers, praised as “world-class” and a “nightmare” by well-known pundit Harry Redknapp. It’s a measure of his ability that the Swede scored 21 goals from just 30 Premier League matches last season, missing just 21 big chances too.
Gordon was crowned the Magpies’ Player of the Season after a resounding campaign, and though he was linked with a return to Liverpool, who he played for as a youth, it looks like the dynamic winger is going to sign a new contract at St. James’ Park.
Neither have started the current campaign on the firmest footing, it must be said. Isak’s old injury issues have crept back in and he is sidelined for this weekend’s game against Everton after missing the past two. He has scored one goal across six games this term.
Gordon hasn’t been brilliant either, bagging from close range against Bournemouth and converting a penalty in last week’s impressive draw against Manchester City, but not hitting full stride just yet.
It would have been nice to have landed Michael Olise on the right flank this summer, with the France international the missing piece of Howe’s attacking puzzle.
Newcastle fumbled the bag with Michael Olise
Olise is tearing it up with Bayern Munich, having left the Premier League with a storming end to the 2023/24 season, wreaking havoc at Crystal Palace.
He was a coveted prospect alright. Chelsea and Manchester United wanted to snap him up but he felt his talents would sparkle in the Bundesliga, and so he transferred to Bayern in a deal worth £50m, which comes across as something of a bargain for one so talented, so jaw-dropping in their performances.
Chelsea had been joined by Newcastle in contacting Palace chairman Steve Parish to ask about signing the dynamo, with it believed, as per Sky Sports, that Newcastle would have accelerated their interest if Miguel Almiron was sold – but, of course, he wasn’t.
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With eight goals and three assists across his first eight appearances for the German giants, Olise, aged 22, is proving himself to be one of the finest talents in Europe, though rubber-stamping would be a better term to use, given he was clearly of the first standard while plying his art on English shores.
Goals scored
0.64
0.31
Assists
0.42
0.31
Shots taken
3.95
2.49
Shot-creating actions
5.79
4.45
Pass completion
75%
76%
Progressive passes
5.51
3.15
Progressive carries
4.80
4.30
Successful take-ons
2.82
1.68
Ball recoveries
4.79
3.89
Tackles
1.34
1.71
Interceptions
0.78
0.22
It’s not just his displays this term that point toward his level stretching above that of Isak and Gordon, impressive though they are, for Olise outplayed Gordon, Newcastle’s 2023/24 MVP, quite handsomely.
He was regarded as “one of the Premier League’s best players” last season by talent scout Jacek Kulig, and Newcastle must wish things had turned out differently.
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