Newcastle United reached new levels of success under Eddie Howe’s wing last season, but there’s no denying that they have been buffeted by the summer transfer window.
It’s been a testing period for those of a Toon persuasion, but it’s important to acknowledge the trophy-winning success of 2024/25, having won the Carabao Cup and qualified for the Champions League through the Premier League.
And while Newcastle failed to win their opening game of the new league campaign, they played well at Villa Park and left with a point, having lacked the presence of an out-and-out frontman, Anthony Gordon deputising at number nine.
Gordon is a fantastic player who will continue to star for the Tynesiders over the coming years, but he’s not a goalscoring striker.
Newcastle, as is no surprise, need to sign replacements up top, with the truant Alexander Isak showing no desire to return to Howe’s squad.
Newcastle searching for Isak replacement
Newcastle signed Isak from Real Sociedad for a club-record £63m fee in 2022, and he has since gone from strength to strength to be regarded as “the best striker in the Premier League” by the likes of Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher.
But he’s headed for the exit, it would seem, having intimated to the Newcastle hierarchy that he has no intention of rejoining Howe’s squad, and only wants to sign for Liverpool.
Newcastle need to sign two strikers, though. There is optimism that a deal will be concluded for Brentford’s Yoane Wissa, but the DR Congo striker was never considered Isak’s potential replacement, and instead, an upgrade on Callum Wilson.
The likes of Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson and long-time transfer target Goncalo Ramos are on the club’s radar, but whether either are deemed appropriate to succeed Isak remains to be seen.
However, there’s another Premier League talent who has been earmarked, with discussions between the clubs rumoured to be in the works.
Newcastle in talks for new striker
As per David Ornstein of The Athletic, Newcastle are holding discussions over the possible signing of Jørgen Strand Larsen via intermediaries.
The Norwegian frontman spent last season on loan at Molineux but only became a fully-fledged Wolverhampton Wanderers player at the beginning of July.
Even so, he is on the Magpies’ shortlist, though it would take a considerable offer to convince Wolves to part with the goalscorer, who has been valued at around £65m.
Why Newcastle want Strand Larsen
The 6 foot 4 Strand Larsen proved an industrious and effective outlet for Wolves last season, standing firm and tall as a focal point from which the likes of Matheus Cunha could use to create and link play together.
Strand Larsen’s 14-goal, five-assist return across the Premier League campaign bespeaks his potential, having only the year before plied his trade in Spain with Celta Vigo.
His 60% success rate in hitting the target put him among the top 1% of strikers across Europe’s top five leagues last season for that metric, and with a bit more confidence behind his powerful strikes, there’s every reason that the Norwegian could be fashioned into a superstar at St. James’ Park.
With the likes of Anthony Gordon and Anthony Elanga blending their blistering speed and dynamic movements down the flanks, the Old Gold centre-forward would not need to play the flashy role under Howe’s tutelage, but rather, provide Newcastle with a clinical presence in the final third.
Gordon has spoken of his struggles last season, but how he has since rekindled the fire in his belly and is ready to return to the form that saw him crowned Newcastle’s Player of the Year for 2023/24, having notched 21 goal involvements in the Premier League.
Matches (starts)
35 (34)
34 (28)
Goals
11
6
Assists
10
5
Shots (on target)*
2.3 (0.9)
1.7 (0.6)
Pass completion
82%
81%
Key passes*
1.6
1.5
Big chances created
16
6
Dribbles*
1.5
1.1
Ball recoveries*
3.6
2.9
Tackles + interceptions*
1.8
1.1
Duels (won)*
5.3 (49%)
4.4 (52%)
That kind of electric dribbling and unrelenting chance creation bodes well for a striker of Strand Larsen’s ilk, especially when Toon legend Alan Shearer has already singled him out as being a frustrating adversary for Premier League defenders.
After one display against Ipswich Town, Shearer said: “He was a nuisance. His hold-up play was excellent and I thought his touch and his control were superb.”
Such coolness in the final third would allow Gordon to shift in and play neat one-twos so he can strike on goal himself, too. And what’s more, the same could be replicated with the rip-roaring Elanga on the alternate wing.
Elanga, 24, has declared himself to be “one of the fastest players in the league,” and after two years of work under Nuno Espirito Santo in a counter-attacking Forest side, he will have perfected the art of swift transitional play.
This should see him dovetail into Newcastle’s first team, having impressed on his league debut for the outfit on Saturday, completing 23 sprints, winning five duels and making two key passes.
It’s clear, however, that Elanga works better with a strong forward in the centre – see his connection with Chris Wood at the City Ground, for example – and Strand Larsen could surely play that role, brawny, aerially efficient and composed with the ball at his feet.
While Strand Larsen doesn’t appear to be the first-choice pick for Newcastle as the end of the transfer window looms large, he’s proven in the Premier League and stands below a high ceiling indeed. He would be a credit to the squad, completing an exciting and multi-faceted frontline.
