A summer of change and uncertainty awaits Newcastle United. How much will they be able to spend? How many of their famous players will leave St James' Park?
Anthony Gordon has already gone through the exit door, joining Barcelona in a stunning move that no one really saw coming.
Sure, Gordon was interested but the sight of the Catalan giants securing his services raised a few eyebrows.
He is not the only player who could leave. Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes are attracting interest from the Premier League while Lewis Hall has appeared on Manchester United's radar despite claims he is unhappy with the way the season has ended for him in the north-east.
A replacement will be needed for anyone who leaves and the priority right now is to protect someone with the same symptoms as the aforementioned Gordon.
Newcastle are in talks to sign the Premier League striker
After a year of spending big on both Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade, it almost defies belief that the Toon should re-enter the market in an attempt to replace Alexander Isak once again.
Last summer was a total soap opera in Newcastle. Isak did not train with the first team and is undoubtedly still paying the price for missing pre-season after heading to Liverpool.
Regardless of what happened with Isak, Eddie Howe and Co did not get their recruitment right. Woltemade was selected as the best player at number 10 and Wissa did not kick the ball due to injury.
It explains the links to players like Dusan Vlahovic and Darwin Nunez this summer but their salaries could be astronomical. The deals of those two feel impossible.
Better than Vlahovic: Newcastle talk of “one of the best CFs in the world”
Newcastle United have set their sights high on their transfer targets this summer.
A possible move for Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus. Indeed, according to Sports Boom, Newcastle have joined Everton in the race to sign the five-time Premier League winner.
The Magpies have opened discussions to understand the availability of this player and his wishes this summer. It is believed that Howe has identified the Brazilian striker as someone who can take his team to the next level.
Jesus signed for Arsenal for £45m but is now reportedly worth around £20m after a string of injuries.
How does Jesus compare to Gordon and Osula
If you asked Newcastle fans last year who their number 9 would be at the end of the 2025/26 season, chances are they would have mentioned William Osula.
Alas, he has beaten both Woltemade and Wissa in the race to be the club's top striker. Despite the initial skepticism, he looked like the real deal.
The Danish international finished the campaign with five goals in his last eight games. He also finished the season with the best conversion rate of any player in the Premier League.
|
Best conversion rates – Premier League 25/26 |
|
|---|---|
|
The player |
Conversion rate |
|
1) Is Osula |
30.4% |
|
2) Noah Okafor |
22.9% |
|
3) Danny Welbeck |
22.6% |
|
4) Nick Woltemade |
22.6% |
|
5) Eli Junior Kroupi |
22.0% |
|
6) Viktor Gyokeres |
21.2% |
A tall striker with an interesting profile, who can play on the shoulder of the defensive line and get in behind. Compared to Gordon, he is an out-and-out striker.
The Barcelona man is now a full-back by trade but has featured 16 times this season, scoring nine goals this season. Like Osula, he plays on the last shoulder but his work rate is very good. He is a hustler and a real nuisance for defenders.
In that regard, Jesus is the same. He may not boast the same physical attributes as Osula but he is very good and knows where the back of the net is.
It's been a while now but in 2017/18, he had the fifth best conversion rate in the division at 24.1%. In 2020/21, only ten strikers had a better conversion rate. We may be playing on past experience here but as Gabriel Martinelli put it when Jesus arrived at the Emirates, “he is one of the best strikers in the world.”
That was a few years ago now the statement is undoubtedly true. A torn ACL will never help anyone. Before missing much of 2025 with that problem, he was in the form of his life, scoring six goals in six games during the holiday season. Like Osula, he is something of a streaky player.
You scored a goal
out of 20
Now that he is 29 years old, some will say that Jesus has passed away. That may be true too but he was still scoring goals for the team that won the title as recently as last month.
He was different last weekend against Crystal Palace and one day he would have had a hat-trick, hitting the post, seeing off a one-man save from Dean Henderson before finally hitting a superb finish at the near post.
Like Osula, you are a tricky customer. He has the ability to burst past the last man as he did in that goal at Selhurst Park and like Gordon, he is an incredibly hard worker.
Jesus has been pressing from the front in a different way for Arsenal. He won the ball back 4.06 times per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season. That was actually better than Gordon who won it 2.83 times.
It is difficult to measure workload based on data alone. The eye test suggests that Jesus is always willing to work hard and lead the media, just as Gordon did so well at St James'.
Don't expect Jesus to become the main man right away but he is still one of the best players in the league. You don't win a bunch of Premier League trophies by being a bad player.
Next Tonali: Newcastle hold talks to sign “one of the best CMs in Europe”
Newcastle United are considering a move for top talent to Europe this summer.
