The Athletic’s Chris Waugh has reported that Newcastle United remain undecided on Will Osula’s short-term future, with injury, squad balance and the January market all shaping the internal debate.
“Osula is out with a foot injury which has been afflicting him for most of the season.”
Waugh explains that the problem initially appeared manageable, allowing Osula to feature as a substitute earlier in the campaign, but the issue worsened, pushing his return back to late January.
The insider noted that Osula’s timeline will definitely complicate Eddie Howe’s attacking choices, particularly given Newcastle’s lack of depth at striker.
“That makes Eddie Howe’s decision to experiment with both Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade against Bournemouth more curious, given they are his only two fit strikers,” Waugh wrote.
Most interestingly, Hope revealed that internally, Newcastle’s preference is to carry three forward options, which directly affects Osula’s prospects.
“Ideally, Howe wants three striker options, which means either Osula must stay, or another young, versatile forward is signed during this window,” Waugh reported.
At present, Waugh indicates that a replacement signing is far from certain. Osula’s name continues to circulate on the market, following strong interest last summer.
“During the summer, Newcastle received permanent and loan offers for Osula and, at one stage on deadline day, he was bound for Eintracht Frankfurt,” Waugh reported. “Reports in Germany claiming an agreement to resurrect any deal have been premature.”
According to Waugh’s information, Aston Villa are also monitoring him, but Newcastle are still facing a strategic choice and pondering their options.
“The call Newcastle must make is whether to loan him out in the hope he progresses and either becomes more of a regular under Howe or that his value increases,” Waugh wrote.
An alternative would be completing a sale at what Waugh describes as a strong valuation, although it’s unclear any club out there will be willing to pay NUFC’s asking price.
“His present market value seems to be around the £30million-£35million mark,” Waugh wrote. “As things stand, it seems most likely Osula will stay on Tyneside until the end of the season.”