Newcastle United have just secured 'perfect' summer signing after St James' Park appearance
Newcastle United supporters got a first look at new signing Will Osula in action for the club on Saturday afternoon.
A crowd of 33,760 watch on at St James’ Park as Newcastle ended pre-season with a 1-0 Sela Cup win over Ligue 1 side Stade Brestois. Osula, just two days after his £15million deal from Sheffield United was confirmed, was tasked with leading the line for The Magpies against Champions League opposition.
Despite limited training time and only recently recovering from a concussion, the 21-year-old put in a sharp 70 minute display up front for Eddie Howe’s side. The first thing you notice about the Danish forward is his stature, he may still be eligible to play for Newcastle’s Under-21s having only just turned 21 himself but he is a physically imposing presence at ‘6ft 3, verging on 6ft 4’ as Howe put it.
His pace and power was on display just minutes into his non-competitive debut as he burst clear of the defence after being played in down the right by Miguel Almiron. Osula managed to get a shot away but the angle was against him and his effort was easily dealt with by the goalkeeper.
The youngster broke through on goal for the second time after Harvey Barnes had given Newcastle the lead and thought he’d doubled the hosts’ advantage with a good touch and finish into the bottom right corner of the goal. Osula briefly celebrated before noticing the offside flag had ruled the goal out.
But it was a glimpse of what he could offer the side this coming season.
Barring another injury crisis, Osula won’t be expected to start many matches for Newcastle this coming season ahead of Alexander Isak or Callum Wilson. While the only two league goals of his professional career came during a loan spell at Derby County in League One two years ago, his physical qualities and potential make him an ideal addition to Newcastle’s squad.
Due to his age, Osula won’t take up a place in Newcastle’s 25-man squad this coming season. For an initial £10million with £5million in add-ons, it could prove to be a smart piece of business to supplement Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson.
While there are question marks over the fitness of Wilson and to some degree Isak as well, Newcastle have two top-quality strikers in the squad when fit. Osula as a third-choice striker is a perfect fit in many ways and the type of player Newcastle were crying out for during the injury hit days of last season.
The Magpies went into games last season without a recognised striker, and even when they did, Howe didn’t have the luxury to manage the minutes of his players. As a result, both Isak and Wilson struggled for fitness and suffered injury set-backs during the campaign.
Having Osula there to be introduced from the bench and pose a physical challenge for defenders in the closing stages of matches should give Isak and Wilson the best chances of avoiding injury and maintaining a high level of performance.
And in that respect, Osula could prove to be an ideal addition to the Newcastle squad.