Newcastle United battled their way to a 1-1 draw against Manchester City over the weekend, which was certainly a point earned rather than two dropped.
With just two games left until yet another international break, Eddie Howe will be expecting wins over AFC Wimbledon and Everton, which would bolster the morale around the club.
As the season progresses, injuries will likely pile up, especially if the Magpies go deep in both domestic cup competitions. This could make the decision to not sign many players during the summer transfer window look very poor.
Much was expected of the Toon in the window, but Howe simply couldn’t bring any of his transfer targets to the club.
He is certainly lacking depth in the centre-forward department, as both Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak are currently out injured.
The latest on Alexander Isak’s injury
The striker suffered a broken toe during the victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers a few weeks ago, but he took an injection in order to push through the pain barrier in the Premier League defeat against Fulham last weekend.
During that match, Isak failed to get on the scoresheet, while managing no shots on target and taking just 26 touches, despite playing the full 90 minutes.
He missed the clash against City over the weekend, with Anthony Gordon deputising as the main centre-forward in Howe’s starting XI.
The Swede would likely have made way for a fringe player to secure some game time against AFC Wimbledon on Tuesday evening, but it looks as though he could also miss the Everton clash too.
Alexander Isak’s statistics this season
The striker played in all six of Newcastle’s matches this season prior to the City fixture, scoring once and registering one assist. These goal contributions came in the Premier League, against Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur respectively.
Along with his goal involvements, Isak has also averaged 2.2 shots per game, created a big chance and averaged 0.8 key passes each match, proving he is able to link up well with his teammates by creating opportunities.
Gordon scored the equalising goal against City, but he clearly isn’t an ideal option to use in that position for the long term, with his talents best used out wide.
William Osula could make his first start for the club following his move from Sheffield United in the summer, but is he a long-term solution for Isak?
Howe was eyeing up a few attackers during the summer window in order to add some much-needed depth to his team. How he will rue missing out on them now, considering his dilemma.
One name was Jarrod Bowen, with Newcastle showing plenty of interest in the current West Ham United star.
Newcastle missed out on signing Jarrod Bowen
Bowen has enjoyed a successful spell in London with West Ham, making over 200 appearances for the club since joining in January 2020, scoring 62 goals and chipping in with 40 assists in the process.
It is perhaps surprising that no one has taken the plunge and secured his services, especially considering he registers a goal contribution once every two games, evidence of his impressive form in the final third.
Last December, West Ham placed a £100m price tag on the player’s head, which was to deter any potential suitors ahead of the upcoming January transfer window.
It clearly worked, as the Englishman is still with the Hammers, but the Magpies were showing plenty of interest in bringing him north just a few months ago.
|
Jarrod Bowen’s West Ham stats |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Games |
Goals |
Assists |
|
2023/24 |
44 |
20 |
10 |
|
2022/23 |
54 |
13 |
8 |
|
2021/22 |
51 |
18 |
11 |
|
2020/21 |
40 |
8 |
6 |
|
2019/20 |
13 |
1 |
4 |
According to the Northern Echo at the start of July, Howe had earmarked Bowen as his number one transfer target, feeling the winger could add plenty to his current first-team squad.
As the weeks wore on, however, it became clear that the manager wasn’t going to get his wish, and Bowen remained with West Ham, until January at least.
So far this term, he has outscored Isak, and it looks like the club will regret not bringing the player to the club, PSR restrictions or not.
One that got away
The transfers that nearly happened but never did. This article is part of Football FanCast’s One That Got Away series.
Jarrod Bowen’s season in numbers
While Isak has scored just once and grabbed an assist, Bowen has managed to find the back of the net on two occasions for the Hammers, while adding in a further assist too.
In the Premier League, Bowen has also created one big chance, averaging 2.3 key passes per game while also succeeding with 1.7 dribbles each match.
Isak may have created the same number of big chances, yet he falls behind Bowen with regard to key passes and successful dribbles each game, proving that the Englishman has offered more in the final third.
Bowen has also won more total duels per game (4.2 vs 2) than Isak, along with being fouled more often per game (1 vs 0.4) and managing more shots on target per match (0.7 vs 0.4) than the Swedish centre-forward.
The season may only be a few weeks old, but not investing in a player of Bowen’s ability could prove to be costly for Howe, especially as he aims to return the Magpies back into the top four of the Premier League table, securing Champions League qualification.
Isak is a world-class striker, no doubt about it, but he has endured plenty of injury issues during his spell on Tyneside, no doubt about that.
Could January see the club revisiting their interest in the England international? Only time will tell, but much will depend on the funds Howe has available to him at that time.
A fee of £100m is certainly well outside of their budget, but if West Ham continue to perform poorly and Julen Lopetegui departs, it could open the door for the Toon to make their move for the winger on much cheaper terms.
He would be an inspired signing by Howe, that is for sure.
