Will Osula: Can He Be Our Main ST?

After spending over £69M on Woltemade, £55M on Wissa, and £51M on Pardo - a grand total of £170M - Newcastle are still a mile off signing a ST anywhere close to Isak.

Or are we?

Will Osula came though the door for c£10M as a raw ST who was recommended by Jason Tindall and he was initially only played as a sub and often then only in the dying minutes of a game.

The word from the training pitch was that whilst Eddie saw potential, he wasn't seeing a player who had the discipline and awareness to be part of a team unit.

But then... young Osula started scoring from the subs bench and, when Gordon who was playing in the ST position got injured near the end of last season, Eddie finally gave Will a run of games.

Result?

He ended the season, before getting injured himself, with 7 goals in 13 starts, plus 2 goals from the bench, plus two assists.

In the Premier League alone, he scored five goals in eight starts and two goals in 16 substitute appearances. Five of those seven goals came in his final seven matches, all of which he started.

Not too shabby for a player some fans rate as a "headless checken".

This Season

Osula has scored one goal and has one assist in four starts, and in two of those games he went off injured. Against Liverpool after 56 minutes and against Everton in the EFL Cup at HT.

So, in minutes on the pitch, it is more like one goal and one assist in three games.

But... he had a very poor game at Fulham and his failure to hold up the ball indirectly led to their equaliser.

In all since his late run in the side last season he has 6 goals in 11 starts - that is Isak territory although no way am I suggesting he is in that bracket.

But... nor is he the aimless ball chaser that many fans claim.

Osula's Strength's

Let's start with what they aren't.

Whilst he is a physical player, his strength isn't challenging for high hoofs and holding the ball up.

That's just about all he got fed on at Fulham and that's why he looked so poor.

Osula's strengths are running at defenders where he has trick or two to beat them, running onto balls played in behind a defender where he has the pace to get in on goal, and being on the end of balls played across the box.

That's where all of his goals have come from.

And, he is no bad finisher at all.

He misses chances, which ST hasn't?

But when he's cracked in 6 goals in his last 11 starts how can any fan say he misses too many?

If he gets the right service I'm betting he'll be in amongst the goals again.

Just in case you've forgotten his goals, or how he scored them...

Watch them all below and give me your opinion on Will Osula.

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