Newcastle must finally axe £46k-p/w star who Bruce was “delighted” to sign

Newcastle United have not been at the races this season, struggling to find balance and consequent form that could see Eddie Howe’s side return to European competition.

As a first-team squad, Newcastle have lost their synergy and style. Howe’s slick tactics now carry a fustiness that is difficult to pin down to any one problem, though perhaps the overall issue is more alarming than the sum of its individual parts.

PSR restrictions and a lack of significant player investment since the halcyon days of Howe’s reign have combined to freeze the project. Newcastle are attempting to thaw out and move forward once again, but it’s clear that certain changes need to be made on the field.

Newcastle need to make changes

Alexander Isak has found his shooting boots in recent weeks and is now thriving on a personal level, having scored seven goals from ten recent matches for club and country.

He can’t do it alone. St. James’ Park is still dusted with a wealth of quality, but Newcastle lack confidence and the togetherness that served as the glue over recent years.

Defensively, Sven Botman’s anticipated return can’t come soon enough. Up front, things have improved somewhat in recent weeks, but Isak needs support, the goals need to come from other areas.

Sadly, Callum Wilson won’t be able to help in that regard.

Howe needs to replace Callum Wilson

In 2020, Newcastle signed Wilson from Bournemouth in a £20m deal, with Steve Bruce stating that he was “delighted to sign” a clinical centre-forward who he had “admired for a long time.”

“Callum is somebody I’ve admired for a long time and I’m delighted to get him. He has done fantastically well at Bournemouth and was deservedly playing centre-forward for England less than two years ago.

“The club has worked ever so hard to get Callum here and we have beaten off competition from a number of clubs. I’m grateful the club has made it happen. Lee Charnley and those behind the scenes deserve a lot of credit.”

In Isak, Newcastle boast one of the finest strikers across Europe, but Wilson has been an invaluable source of goals throughout his time in black and white and will need replacing.

Howe and co made a long-term investment last summer when signing William Osula from Sheffield United for a £15m figure. But then the 21-year-old has made only four substitute appearances in the top flight this term (the same as Wilson), despite having been fully fit throughout.

The same can’t be said for the veteran England international, who missed the opening months of the campaign with a back injury and has only managed cameos over United’s past four fixtures.

Now, correspondent Craig Hope has been forced to release the unwelcome news that Wilson is set for several months back in the infirmary.

Prolific at his best, the £46k-per-week Wilson’s injury record has left plenty to be desired, but now, with his 33rd birthday looming, he’s lost his athleticism and fitness levels to the point of no return.

It’s clear that he will be released when his contract expires next summer, despite contrary reports from several months ago that a revival would perhaps tempt PIF into extending his time on Tyneside by an additional year.

Ultimately, while Bruce and Newcastle were once ‘delighted’ to bring him on board, Wilson’s resources have been exhausted, and this Magpie must now be let loose.