Newcastle line up “proper No.9” as £60m Samu alternative

Newcastle United rode into the summer transfer window on the crest of a wave, but the Magpies faithful have since been left with misgivings after wretched fortunes in the market.

So many transfer targets have been missed, and now, the all-inspiring talisman that is Alexander Isak is pushing to sign for Premier League champions Liverpool.

Though Newcastle lost the race against Manchester United for Benjamin Sesko, with a £73m deal agreed with RB Leipzig, there is still an impetus on Eddie Howe’s part to sign a high-level number nine this month.

Newcastle planning to sign a striker

The Athletic’s David Ornstein revealed on Friday that FC Porto striker Samu Aghehowa has emerged as a leading contender to improve Newcastle’s frontline this summer, albeit with talks of offers merely abstract things right now.

The truth is that Newcastle are chasing a number of targets, with Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson another to have emerged as an option.

However, the Senegalese international has been priced at an extortionate £80m, and though Chelsea might be inclined to drop that valuation, the 24-year-old has shown over two years in the Premier League that he is very much the unfinished article.

The list doesn’t end there. According to the Daily Mail’s Craig Hope, Newcastle are considering a move for Wolverhampton Wanderers star Jørgen Strand Larsen, though the Norwegian has a lofty price tag of his own, coming in at roughly £60m.

This is no small sum, but Howe might be inclined to prioritise a bid for the 25-year-old, who has more in his locker than Chelsea’s Jackson.

Why Newcastle should sign Strand Larsen

Wolves signed Strand Larsen on loan from Spanish side Celta Vigo last summer, sealing the forward on a permanent deal at the end of the 2024/25 season.

Though the Old Gold ebbed and flowed throughout the season, ultimately finding form under Vitor Pereira’s wing, Strand Larsen proved a success at the front of the ship, reliable and consistent in front of goal, notably posting seven goals and two assists across nine matches to see the year out.

This red-hot form is something Newcastle could do with, for sure, and it’s this which suggests he could be the better pick than Jackson, who has struggled for fluidity in the Premier League.

Jackson has his strengths, but his dynamic athleticism doesn’t do enough to place him above a clinical force like Strand Larsen, not when he’s missed 43 big chances across his two Premier League terms, only scoring 24 times in total.

Strand Larsen is not just more clinical in front of goal, but more economical too. Indeed, as the graphic earlier reveals, he hit the target more times per 90 than any other Premier League striker last season. As analyst Ben Mattinson noted, he’s simply a “proper No.9” in every sense.

Jackson might be more mobile and more dynamic, but the Norway international has proved himself as a prolific outlet, with a creative side too, for a team competing toward the lower end of the English top flight.

Howe’s system is steeped in swift, transitional tactics, but it needs a reliable focal point to finish off the chances created by Anthony Gordon, Anthony Elanga and the like.

Such speedy wingers would be perfect for a number nine like Strand Larsen, whose skill at being a “nuisance” for defenders, as remarked by Toon legend Alan Shearer, would see him prove a better signing than the wasteful Jackson.