I don’t understand the panic – William Osula to Newcastle and the reaction online

After it was revealed on Thursday night that Newcastle United were closing in on the signing of Sheffield United forward William Osula, I saw a lot of frustrated supporters questioning the move on social media.

‘Not good enough to replace Wilson’, ‘what happened to big-money signings’ and ‘we need a right-winger and right-sided centre-back’ were common complaints I picked up on. Certain points I appreciate after a long wait for a major breakthrough that immediately improves our first team, but I don’t understand some of the complaints.

On the first concern – ‘he’s not good enough to replace Callum Wilson’ – I think a few have jumped the gun here. It’s hard enough signing a back-up striker to Alexander Isak never mind a third-choice option who has clearly been signed as a high-potential talent who can improve under Eddie Howe and eventually become a first-team regular.

When you have Alexander Isak – one of the best strikers in world football right now – it’s not easy to recruit a second-choice striker who knows they’ll VERY rarely start when Isak is fit. Very few Premier League clubs have two top strikers. But once again, I’m pretty certain Osula – who can play up top and out wide – won’t be the only forward signed if Wilson does depart.

If Wilson leaves, I’m very confident another striker arrives – Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been targeted and Jonathan David has been watched long-term – as this is no longer a club who’d leave a young and inexperienced Osula to be Isak’s one and only deputy should the Swede get injured. Replacing Wilson won’t be cheap or easy due to the everything mentioned in the paragraph above – we could yet keep him one more season and let him run down his contract – but we won’t just gamble and swap a proven back-up option to Isak with a raw youngster who needs time, not immediate pressure. I trust the club on that one, which brings me to the next scenario…

If Wilson does stay and inevitably misses patches of the season through injury, we have Anthony Gordon capable of playing up top (Harvey Barnes could then start on the left) and are also waiting to see who arrives as our new right-winger (someone like Bryan Mbeumo is a popular shout and someone more than capable of also filling in up top).

Looking beyond versatile wingers who could step in if needed, we also have to trust that this is a Paul Mitchell signing (as reported by The Telegraph) who our new sporting director believes will benefit hugely from Eddie Howe’s coaching. So, if Isak and Wilson (or his potential replacement) are both injured at once and Gordon is needed on the left, I’d trust that the Danish U21 talent who has pace, power and six goals in five FA Cup outings might do OK on the rare occasion he’ll be asked to start.

I totally get that there’s been a long wait for a big signing and Osula may feel a tad underwhelming after such a quiet and frustrating July. However, I still believe a quality right-sided centre-back and right-winger will sign before the window shuts on August 30th.

There’s no doubt we’re leaving it a little late, giving any new centre-back or winger little pre-season to bed into the side or reach the high fitness levels demanded by Howe, but I believe Osula is a good investment and not someone who’ll be stepping into Isak’s shoes the second he’s not available.

About Olly Hawkins

As a Junior Magpie since birth and season ticket holder, I eat, sleep and breathe all things NUFC! Here at the blog, I aim to bring you news, views, match reports and transfer exclusives as and when I get them.

25 thoughts on “I don’t understand the panic – William Osula to Newcastle and the reaction online

  1. couldn’t agree more Olly, I said in a earlier article he’s a perfect 3rd choice CF people need to calm down and remember where we were before the take over in other words get a grip

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  2. The problem is that since NUFC was bought out too many halfwits have set up a YouTube channel, hung a few shirts behind them & started pumping out content as if they’re experts!!
    Then a bunch of numpties who get football manager free with Netflix think their top scouts.

    The club employs people who do this for a living. Who heard of Minteh before we signed him?! and I read plenty questioning what we were doing spending £8.5m on him.

    I also saw plenty calling out the agreed £28m clause for Hall – and the same now saying he’ll be a class signing.

    I’m not going to say which YouTuber I saw earlier grumping about the signing whilst putting up Wiki stats – as if that gives a full analysis of the player.

    I want us to be further along with our recruitment, but I’m happy to trust that these people know what they are doing.

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  3. Totally agree with all the comments here porkie you made a good point in earlier post which top striker wants to play back up to Isak can’t think of any plus who is going to buy Wilson with his injury record maybe a Saudi club but will Wilson want to go there

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  4. Will Osula will surprise you. If it wasn’t for the kind of fee we can’t turn down I’d be gutted to see him go. As it is, you get what i think is a star of the not so distant future, and we can afford a ‘keeper and a CB 🙂
    All the best for the season

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  5. The panic is understandible. The season is just 2 weeks away and we’re dropping £10+ million on a 20-year old striker who scored ZERO goals in 28 league games (including 21 in the PL) for Sheffield Utd and just two (against Accrington Stanley) in 16 for Derby in League One. Those stats are more than “a tad underwhelming”. I don’t know if the club even plan on playing him, or if they’re hoping he’ll go on loan and “do a Minteh” so they can cash him in. At this point, it’s looking like we don’t have a pot to pee in.

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  6. Ah Lee, you saw the same YouTuber.

    Only the Wiki stat didn’t say ‘games’ it said appearances. So if he came on for the last 3 mins of a game – that’s an appearance, but what are his chances of scoring?!.

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  7. Sharpy17:
    Ah Lee, you saw the same YouTuber.

    Only the Wiki stat didn’t say ‘games’ it said appearances.So if he came on for the last 3 mins of a game – that’s an appearance, but what are his chances of scoring?!.

    esp in a team that scored less than the amount of games they played

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  8. I doubt Wilson is going anywhere this close season so logic dictates a Will Osula kind of signing to learn from Wilson / isak and offer them some protection by taking the load off them.
    I just can’t see him being loaned. Time will tell if it’s a bust or not but given Mitchell’s record for spotting talent and Howe’s record of developing talent at least a bit of patience seems prudent
    Oh and what a pair of studs to learn from in isak and wilson

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  9. lee:
    The panic is understandible. The season is just 2 weeks away and we’re dropping £10+ million on a 20-year old striker who scored ZERO goals in 28 league games (including 21 in the PL) for Sheffield Utd and just two (against Accrington Stanley) in 16 for Derby in League One. Those stats are more than “a tad underwhelming”. I don’t know if the club even plan on playing him, or if they’re hoping he’ll go on loan and “do a Minteh” so they can cash him in. At this point, it’s looking like we don’t have a pot to pee in.

    you realise that we’ve had a lot of international football this summer and the Olympics is still on going.
    Add in the fact that there are still players on holiday and some still playing so this has slowed down the market no end always funny that fans go under for no reason what so ever

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  10. What absolute drivel, the reason people are underwhelmed is because he is a dreadful footballer, who isnt even league 1 standard .

    He even looks bad on youtube which is bordering on the impossible.

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  11. To all those on here who have said that people with differing opinions are idiots or numpties or whatever , what makes you so extra superior eh…stfu..crawl back under your rock and mind your own ******* business!

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  12. Sharpy17: as this is no longer a club who’d leave a young and inexperienced Osula to be Isak’s one and only deputy should the Swede get injured

    Sharpy – your comment on “appearances” would be all fine and dandy, but the flip side is if most of those “appearances” were only 3 minute cameos, then why the F are we buying him?

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  13. The bottom line good bad indifferent NUFC have wasted one full year getting the house in order
    We remain as we were last season starting with same bar Lloyd we have & members still not fitalong with outs still glued to Eddie

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  14. Ppl expect 20 year old to be world beaters these days it seems.

    Harry Kane score 5 goals in 30 appearance as a 20 year old in the championship.

    Christiano Ronaldo score 10 goals in almost also 100 appearance as a 19 20 year old.

    He has played a season in the premiere in the worst offensive team in the Premiere League last season.

    Him playing that many game will have been invaluable experience at an age where most players now star players were getting a few minutes in the top devision or starting their learning curve in the lower leagues.

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  15. HIG and Gosling smell strongly of weariside and of course live always in our shadow which I appreciate makes you bitter and twisted. However your 2-1 defeat to Bradford was quite a close score so take heart

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  16. BykerBill: Sharpy – your comment on “appearances” would be all fine and dandy, but the flip side is if most of those “appearances” were only 3 minute cameos, then why the F are we buying him?

    To develop him you tool 🤯.

    How much game time did Hall have for Chelsea before we agreed a £28m fee for him?!.

    Come on now, this isn’t difficult.

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  17. Simon Gosling:
    To all those on here who have saidthat people with differing opinions are idiots or numpties or whatever , what makes you so extra superior eh…stfu..crawl back under your rock and mind your own ******* business!

    😂 it’s a public site. Post on here & it is my business.

    But what business is it of yours getting upset & offended on behalf of someone else – someone you won’t even know 😂.

    I know claim to have a superior knowledge. Read my post back & you’ll see I even say who I think has a superior knowledge – those working at the club.

    So to be offended about a post you haven’t even fully read makes you a cretin 😉😂

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  18. Too many people have delusional over expectation syndrome cos we over achieved season before last but i find it funny that the ones complaining always forget too mention FFP

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  19. HIG:
    What absolute drivel, the reason people are underwhelmed is because he is a dreadful footballer, who isnt even league 1 standard .

    He even looks bad on youtube which is bordering on the impossible.

    YouTube scouting 👌🏼😂.

    The scouts at NUFC will have put hours of time in watching the lad from the stands. Assessing and analysing his entire game.
    They would have passed it on to their gaffers to look at and assess, and at some point that footage or information would have been presented to Howe & the team that are responsible for bringing in new players – along with other players profiles the scouting team have worked on.

    Ironically Howe took Wilson at Bmth at a similar age (about 21/22) from Coventry.
    Grant for Coventry he had stats of 22 goals from 49 appearances – but that was over a 5 year period and in that time he went on loan to Kettering & Tamworth and could only manage 20 appearances between both clubs and got ONE goal a piece.

    He only cost Bmth £3m – but that was 10 year ago.

    My point being, at the time of signing him his stats weren’t amazing – but look what he went on to do?!.

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  20. Our fanbase will twist on 21. Always the same. Trail by social media before they even give the kid chance in a black & white shirt

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  21. This is the way we need to approach our project. We have a decent 1st team, I agree with the RW and CB signings.

    But the future is to conserve our cash spending, find new up and coming talent, grow them into new 1st team players and not get into any last minute sales to balance the books.

    5 year plans sees these 20 year old learn their trade and by 25 they’ll be highly sought after. Sell them for profit and start again. Which then generates income to make big money signing along the way.

    We will get there, and I trust in the system. Be patient.

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  22. Firstly, we are told James Bunce is an expert, so if he can get Wilson fit and firing, his wages are covered. Secondly, if Osula is good enough to let Isak sit out the last ten minutes of several matches while maintaining some notion of pressure on the opposition, his will be a valuable signing.
    The problem could arise if Usak AND Wilson are out for a spell, but in Eddie we trust!

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  23. If the goal is to qualify for Europe next season buying these kids to develop them is definitely not going to get there! Buy a top class striker to play with Isak not to be second choice!

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  24. We had two strikers last season and the season before (Isak and Wilson). We now have three…

    Totally agree we need first team upgrades now and have left it a bit late for our major signings, but I’m still very confident we’ll bring in a quality a RCB and RW.

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