Three-goal Newcastle United star agrees five-year deal & January transfer - will miss Sunderland clash
Newcastle United forward William Osula is facing an uncertain future at the club after a failed summer move and recent injury blow.
William Osula has missed the last eight matches for Newcastle United in all competitions due to an ankle injury.
The 22-year-old is set to miss the trip to Sunderland on Sunday (2pm kick-off) with a problem that has now sidelined him for over a month.
There is no clear return date set for the Danish striker at this moment in time, despite a recent scan returning positive results.
Osula, who has scored three goals for Newcastle this season, is having his injury investigated further by the club’s medical team as they look to get to the bottom of the issue.
When asked about a potential return date for Osula, Howe said earlier this month: “We need to have further discussions internally to see quite what's happening with his ankle, because it's not going in a straight line.
“We're not quite happy with how he's feeling, so I'll try and give you some feedback when we get it.”
In addition to the injury problem, the January transfer window is quickly approaching and Osula has been heavily linked with a move away from the club.
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William Osula almost left Newcastle United in the summer
After limited first-team opportunities since joining Newcastle from Sheffield United in 2024 for an initial £10million, Osula was close to leaving the club in the summer amid interest from Aston Villa and Eintracht Frankfurt.
Villa were blocked from completing a move due to UEFA financial rules as the clubs had already done transfer business earlier in the window, with Jacob Ramsey heading to Newcastle for £39million.
Osula looked set to join Frankfurt after deals were agreed for Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa only for a late U-turn on deadline day.
Explaining the failed exit for Osula, Howe said: “It was quite close for him that he could have left, in a variety of ways, whether that was a loan, which was always our preference because I think from our view, we wanted Will to play.
“We wanted him to continue his development, which he did brilliantly last year, because I think he committed to a path of limited game time, but big training time.
“A lot of work with Graeme Jones, a lot of reviewing his performances, then a lot of putting work into action. And the next step for me was for him to try and play regularly. So that was the aim, and especially with us bringing two strikers in, the thought was that he could continue that development best on the football pitch.
“Obviously, it didn't happen, and much to our relief, it didn't happen because obviously, Yoane picked up an injury. And Will's vitally important. We believe in his talents.”
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Osula has January transfer lined up - five-year deal agreed
With Wissa now back fit and available, Osula has fallen down the pecking order again at Newcastle.
And Frankfurt are preparing to launch a fresh bid to sign the striker in January with leading German outlet Bild claiming the Bundesliga side have agreed personal terms of a five-year deal worth around £40,000-per-week.