Newcastle United are days away from learning their pathway throughout the Champions League group phase, having finished fifth in the Premier League last term and thus restored their position in Europe’s elite competition.
Eddie Howe’s side are also mere hours away from facing Liverpool in the top flight, with the narrative inextricably going to weave around the absent Alexander Isak.
Howe has fought tooth and nail to build St. James’ Park up since arriving almost four years ago, piecing facet upon facet and spending wisely to enjoy European football, first-class players and, most impressively, a domestic cup, their first in 56 years.
But that progress has been threatened over the past month or two, with Isak, the Magpie talisman, desperate to leave the club and join Arne Slot’s Premier League champions.
PIF don’t want this to happen, but Newcastle need strikers regardless.
Newcastle chasing late-window deal for strikers
It’s imperative that Newcastle sign a striker before the transfer deadline, even if Isak ends up staying put. Brentford’s Yoane Wissa is the primary target right now, and though Keith Andrews doesn’t want to lose his prolific forward, Wissa is determined to join the Toon.
Brentford are playing hardball, and so the culmination of that one remains an uncertain thing. But Newcastle aren’t restricted to just one target, with Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Jørgen Strand Larsen also high on the Tynesiders’ list.
The 25-year-old impressed on loan at Molineux last season, scoring 14 goals and supplying five assists across 38 matches. He has since seen his sojourn become a permanent stay.
Strand Larsen is a talented forward, a proven goalscorer in the Premier League for a relegation-threatened side. However, he’s very much a target man.
There’s nothing wrong with that, but if Newcastle sign Wissa too, a bit more variation might be good, especially with the Norwegian priced at a hefty £65m.
Newcastle call for Strand Larsen alternative
According to Fabrizio Romano, Newcastle have called Chelsea as they continue to weigh up a formal bid for Nicolas Jackson, although they are joined in their interest by Aston Villa and Bayern Munich.
Jackson has been excluded from Enzo Maresca’s first-team set-up at Stamford Bridge, and his departure within the week looks nailed on.
Newcastle will need to act swiftly if they wish to sign the Senegalese player, and must weigh up whether they are willing to meet Chelsea’s £50m asking price.
Why Newcastle want to sign Jackson
Jackson joined Chelsea two years ago, leaving Villarreal in Spain after a potent end to his time in La Liga, scoring ten goals across the final two months of the 2022/23 campaign.
The 24-year-old’s time at Chelsea has been characterised by ebb and flow, but so too has he shown plenty of promise, and if the Blues cash in, it might come back to bite them.
Mobile and effective in the build-up, Jackson has a lot about him, albeit he has yet to release the shackles of wastefulness in front of goal, with Sofascore recording that he missed 43 big chances across his first two Premier League campaigns.
However, Howe has the managerial skills and the vacancy at number nine which could allow Jackson to hit new levels, smoothing out the wrinkles in his skill set and proving a confident talisman for Newcastle.
Data-driven platform FBref have chalked down the data and inferred a likeness to Isak, which underscores Jackson’s complete take on the striker’s game. It’s what the Toon need, especially if they sign Wissa.
What they don’t need is Wissa and Strand Larsen, those reliable but limited-in-scope strikers who would best enhance United’s fluency if partnered with another centre-forward of a wider capacity.
Goals scored
0.41
0.49
Assists
0.20
0.14
Shots taken
3.08
1.88
Touches (att pen)
5.72
3.76
Shot-creating actions
2.80
1.46
Pass completion
75.9%
64.6%
Progressive passes
1.54
1.01
Progressive carries
1.91
0.59
Successful take-ons
0.73
0.28
Ball recoveries
1.95
1.46
Aerials won
0.85
2.33
Tackles + interceptions
1.01
0.56
As you can see above, Jackson’s underlying data reveals him to be more creative, progressive and combative than the 6 foot 4 Strand Larsen, and while he is tainted by his profligacy, Howe could scour out such a foible at Newcastle, having proven time and time again his ability to bring out the best in his players.
Praised as a “special” player by journalist Rahman Osman, Jackson might not feel like the most attractive of names right now, but he has so much potential, and Newcastle could offer the stable and warm conditions to give rise to those areas of his arsenal that have yet to bloom.
Jackson’s sporadic bursts of prolificness confirm that he has it within him to be a consistent marksman, and, flanked by Anthony Gordon and Anthony Elanga at St. James’ Park, he might just hit the jackpot by opting to sign his signature in black and white, ignoring the advances of Villa and Bayern.
Strand Larsen might have racked up 14 goals last season, but Wissa scored 19 for Brentford and played a similar role.
Given that Wolves want silly money for their striker, it seems reasonable that Newcastle shelve their curiosity and instead push ahead with a deal for Jackson, that talented Chelsea striker who awaits the right project to ignite his potential.
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