Should Newcastle continue to gamble with Wilson?

Callum Wilson has scored a number of key goals for Newcastle during his two years at the club, arguably preserving the Magpies’ Premier League status. Time and again over the last two seasons he has put his hand up at crucial times in the campaign under Steve Bruce and Eddie Howe to dig Newcastle out of trouble.

However, he has also had his problems with injuries, missing a number of matches for niggles and more serious issues. It has been the case throughout his career, most notably with his two ACL tears sustained while playing under Howe at Bournemouth. Wilson has remained predatory in front of goal, despite his setbacks, but for a club with ambitions of pushing up the Premier League table, Newcastle will have questions about whether they can trust his availability over the course of a season.

What a big goal this could be!

Callum Wilson gives Newcastle the lead, a goal that will be celebrated in Tyneside and the white side of North London #NEWARS pic.twitter.com/g1k0ZbgipQ

— TEAMtalk (@TEAMtalk) May 16, 2022

It could make a difference in their bid to push for a top-six place in the 2022/23 season, where they are currently backed in the odds for Premier League bets UK at 12/5 to break into the elite of the top flight. Wilson has the talent to fire the Magpies into the top six as he has been extremely efficient in the final third when he has been on the field. Wilson has scored 61 goals in 170 Premier League appearances, averaging one goal every three matches. His strike rate for Newcastle has been even better, notching 20 goals in his 44 appearances, with the majority of those coming under Bruce’s ill-fated tenure.

Howe has not been able to have his main man in the line-up for the majority of his reign to date. It was a testament to the Newcastle manager that he was able to generate enough goals from the rest of the side to guide his team to safety after Wilson was sidelined from December to May with a calf problem. With Wilson restored to the line-up after a pre-season under his belt, Howe will be hopeful that his team can take the next step. There will be natural concerns about Wilson’s next injury though, and it has been noted that Newcastle was active in the transfer market in looking for a new forward.

There’s no guarantee that a new forward would be able to come into the team and hit the ground running. Chris Wood showed the difficulties of coming into a new team and firing from the off following his £25m move from Burnley in January. He struggled immensely to get up to speed, and it was no surprise that Newcastle’s performances and efficiency in front of goal improved once Wilson was restored to the line-up.

There are no easy answers for the Magpies as other players from abroad have also failed to hit the ground running. Their most recent success was Papiss Cisse, who enjoyed a good run under Alan Pardew, while Demba Ba also had his moments. However, for the ambition of reaching the top six Newcastle need a striker that will threaten the 20-goal barrier. For now, Wilson might be their best option, but it is a gamble.