More prolific than Jackson: Newcastle preparing bid to land £40m forward
Which centre-forward will Newcastle United secure before the transfer window closes on 1 September?
Alexander Isak’s future at the club is uncertain, having missed all of pre-season for the Magpies, and the Swede was reportedly left furious after being told “he is not for sale this summer and will not be allowed” to depart.
Meanwhile, in their pursuit of a new striker, Newcastle have failed to land their first two choices, with Hugo Ekitiké instead moving to Liverpool, and Benjamin Šeško’s transfer to Manchester United being confirmed at the weekend.
Now, could Newcastle turn back to a long-standing target, rather than being tempted by another available Premier League forward?
Following Chelsea’s signings of Liam Delap and João Pedro earlier this summer, Jason Burt of the Telegraph claims Nicolas Jackson has been informed he can leave the Blues this summer, with Newcastle his “preferred destination.”
Like Isak, Jackson is currently training alone at Cobham, and Chelsea are prepared to sanction a sale for around £65m.
However, could the Magpies actually be focusing on another top-flight striker?
According to Simon Jones of the Daily Mail, Newcastle are “expected to make an improved offer” in their pursuit of Brentford’s Yoane Wissa.
BEarlier in the window, Newcastle had a £25m bid rejected for the DR Congo international, who is valued closer to £40m by Brentford, but with the forward reportedly pushing for a move to Tyneside, this deal might still happen.
Wissa was, unquestionably, among the finest strikers in the Premier League last term.
The Brentford star netted 19 league goals, a tally comparable to the division’s elite, as shown in the statistics below.
Junior Béton hailed Wissa’s form as “incredible,” while manager Thomas Frank noted “he is best as a number nine” and praised the “remarkable” forward’s “nose for goals.”
Mark Bruce of Breaking the Lines considers him one of the most “underrated” players in the league, highlighting how he has “shown extraordinary perseverance” to reach the top and is now “flourishing” at Premier League level.
As the table shows, Wissa scored nine more league goals than Jackson, held a superior goals-per-90 rate, and did so for a team that finished six places lower.
The Brentford attacker also outperformed Jackson in expected goals, shooting accuracy, and missed fewer big chances, though the Chelsea man led in chance creation stats.
In short, Newcastle should push to sign Wissa, as he would cost at least £25m less than Jackson, allowing the saved funds to strengthen other positions, including defence, with Malick Thiaw set to join from AC Milan for about £30m.
