Newcastle United fan blog: The Callum Wilson gamble that Mike Ashley must not take ahead of new season

Make no mistake, Callum Wilson has been a revelation on Tyneside since his £20million move from Bournemouth last summer.

Our new number nine joined a side bereft of goals and bagged 12 in his debut season to help drag the club to top-flight survival - cementing himself as first-choice striker and deservedly earning our legendary shirt in the process.

However, a patchy injury record saw Wilson start just 23 games; a worrying statistic for a team that only won twice - against Fulham and Sheff Utd in our final two fixtures - without him in the side.

With Andy Carroll out the door, Joelinton no longer recognised as a centre forward and Dwight Gayle still frustratingly goal-shy at Premier League level, Newcastle have a stark lack of options up front should Wilson find himself back on the treatment table.

Funds are rumoured to be tight for Bruce this summer, but there is no reason why Newcastle can’t delve into a loan market they have joyfully exploited in the past.

Talents like Tammy Abraham and Divock Origi are struggling for game time and, while luring either to St James’s Park may appear far-fetched, clubs like Aston Villa and West Ham have been linked with both in recent times… so why not Newcastle?

Many fans predict another season of struggle lies ahead but a strong end to the campaign last time out saw the Magpies play some decent football and finish comfortably above the drop zone in 12th position.

Newcastle’s form improved once our attacking options returned from injury in April and, if we recruit shrewdly, there is no reason why we shouldn’t be looking up the table rather than over our shoulder.

While doing all we can to lure Joe Willock back up North remains a priority, signing some support for our new number nine should be of equal importance.

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