When Alexander Isak was sold on deadline day over the summer, serious questions were asked over whether or not Newcastle United’s current and incoming strikers could replicate the Swede’s sensational goalscoring record.
And now, six weeks later, many fans would be quick to say that Nick Woltemade has so far done more than enough to prove he’s a worthy replacement for the now-Liverpool forward, and with Yoane Wissa set to debut imminently, goalscoring looks to be the least of the club’s worries right now.
But prior to Wissa’s deadline day arrival and Woltemade’s £69m switch from Stuttgart, we saw a long list of strikers linked with potential moves to St James’ Park.
A lot of them opted for moves elsewhere, like Joao Pedro, Huge Ekitike and Benjamin Sesko, but a new report has hinted of a different name with prior Premier League experience who could soon make the move back to England…
La Liga striker watched?
According to Marca, Newcastle had scouts present to watch Alexander Sorloth in the Madrid derby last month, where the big Norwegian netted in monumental a 5-2 win over Real Madrid.
In Marca’s report, they note how once Sorloth was substituted, the two scouts left the stadium, indicating that the big man was indeed the focus of our scouting trip and not another reported Atletico Madrid target like Conor Gallagher.
Sorloth, who previously played for Crystal Palace, and appeared for Diego Simeone’s side in the recent Sela Cup game at St James’ Park back in August, has scored two goals in seven league appearances so far this season.
A deal for the striker could be complicated however: not only does his current contract at Atletico not expire until 2028, but with Antoine Griezmann not getting any younger, and Julian Alvarez tenuously linked with a move to Barcelona, Simeone won’t want to be left short in the striker department any time soon.
Coupled with wage demands, with Sorloth currently being on €3m a year, and Villarreal having a 20% sell on clause, the 29-year-old could prove to be an expensive buy.
Why it could be a non-starter
Despite bringing in two big names in Woltemade and Wissa, local reports have hinted that we will indeed return to the striker market this January for another striker.
One would be in particular need should Will Osula depart, with the young Dane again linked with a loan move to German side Eintracht Frankfurt. There’s also no telling on how Wissa’s recent knee injury will impact his immediate minutes and quality.
But the prospect of us pushing to sign another 29-year-old with torrid Premier League experience, zero goals in 12 league appearances for Crystal Palace, seems unlikely.
