A few days after Christmas, The Mail’s Craig Hope claimed that Callum Wilson was likely to miss just four to six weeks after suffering a worrying looking calf injury n our 1-1 draw with Man Utd last month.
Now, the North-East reporter has a slightly more concerning update on the 29-year-old’s situation, stating that there’s growing fears he’ll be missing for longer than six weeks ahead of another round of scans.
These will determine the full extent and nature of his injury, with Hope revealing how the club are concerned his initial calf injury has also impacted his Achilles.
As a result, it seems the club are exploring their options in attack, knowing a couple of new strikers could be essential if our current top scorer is ruled out for months, not weeks.
Two names mentioned in the piece are Sardar Azmoun – the soon-to-be out of contract Zenit forward who could be available for ‘as little as £5m’ – and Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
It’s claimed the latter has been offered our way, however he’s not believed to be at the top of our wishlist at present due to his involvement in the African Cup of Nations over the next month.
The Mail also claim that a Premier League proven striker could be prioritised if Wilson’s injury proves to be even worse than first feared; which makes sense given we’d need any replacement to hit the ground running.
In amongst all the transfer talk – Trippier’s signature is imminent and we’re in talks to sign Lucas Digne – this is slightly more sobering news, making us realise just how vital the January window could be in our bid to avoid the drop.
