Newcastle United were forced into the market to bolster their striker options last summer after Alexander Isak secured a £125m move to Premier League rivals Liverpool.
The Sweden international had racked up over 20 goals in the Premier League in each of the previous two seasons, scoring 44 times, which meant that his exit was a significant blow.
Eddie Howe reacted to that by swooping to sign Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart for a club-record fee of £69m and Yoane Wissa from Brentford for a fee of £55m.
Unfortunately, 12 months on from those two big-money deals, the Magpies are still in need of a new centre-forward to come through the door this summer.
Why Newcastle need to replace Yoane Wissa
The signing of Wissa made a lot of sense on paper after the DR Congo international scored 19 goals in 35 appearances in the top-flight in the 2024/25 campaign for the Bees.
However, the 29-year-old marksman lacks the natural size and physicality to be an outlet for his team when the goals are not flowing, which is part of the reason why he struggled last term.
A knee injury disrupted his campaign, restricting him to 19 appearances in the Premier League, but his performances when fit and available also left a lot to be desired.
|
25/26 Premier League |
Yoane Wissa |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
19 |
|
xG |
3.12 |
|
Goals |
1 |
|
Assists |
1 |
|
Pass accuracy |
70% |
|
Duels won per game |
1.2 |
|
Aerial duels won per game |
0.8 |
|
Ground duel success rate |
25% |
|
Aerial duel success rate |
43% |
Wissa was dominated in physical duels and rarely won contests on the ground or in the air throughout the campaign, to go along with his lack of goals for the Magpies.
The experienced forward’s lack of physicality was evident as a lone striker and that is why Matthias Jaissle should be looking to replace him with a more robust number nine.
Newcastle in the race to sign Yoane Wissa upgrade
Jaissle’s 4-2-3-1 formation needs a focal point up front and the club are now looking at a player who would be the dream replacement for Wissa in that position.
According to TEAMtalk, Newcastle United are one of a number of teams in the race to sign Chelsea centre-forward Liam Delap before the end of the window.
The report claims that the Magpies have been contacted by intermediaries to see if they would be keen, alongside Manchester United, Nottingham Forest, and Everton, with the Toffees said to be leading the race for his services.
It adds that the player is keen to remain in England, despite interest from Como, and that Chelsea are ready to demand a fee of around £40m, which means that Newcastle could see a bid accepted if they decide to offer £40m for the attacker.
The Magpies would be taking a risk on the former England U21 international if they decided to make a move for him this summer, after he only scored one goal in 28 matches for the Blues in the Premier League last season.
However, his performances for Ipswich Town, when he was a regular starter instead of a rotation option, show that he does have both the quality and the physicality to spearhead an attack in the top-flight.
|
24/25 Premier League |
Delap |
Rank vs STs |
|---|---|---|
|
xG |
9.34 |
Top 32% |
|
Goals |
12 |
Top 20% |
|
Duels won |
157 |
Top 6% |
|
Aerial duels won |
58 |
Top 20% |
|
Aerial duel success rate |
43.3% |
Top 40% |
|
Fouls won |
51 |
Top 8% |
|
Ball recoveries |
68 |
Top 12% |
Even ignoring the impressive haul of 12 goals in a team that got relegated, Delap caught the eye with his physical output that season, ranking highly among strikers in a host of physical metrics.
The 23-year-old attacker has shown that he can be an outstanding focal point for the team by duelling with defenders and holding his own against physically dominant centre-backs.
Delap, who was described as a “beast” by teammate Jens Cajuste, is a centre-forward who provides value even when he is not scoring goals, because he can hold the ball up, win flick-ons, occupy defenders, and bring others into play.
Whereas, Wissa does not possess the same physical qualities and that makes it more noticeable when he is off his game, as he is not as impactful on the pitch without scoring goals.
Therefore, Delap, who has also shown that he can score goals in the Premier League, would be a better option than Wissa for Jaissle because he is a more complete and well-rounded striker who can be the focal point of his 4-2-3-1 formation, which may be why they want to sign him.