Newcastle United are expected to sign a striker during the January transfer window following the news that number 9 Callum Wilson is set to miss the next two months with a calf injury.

Eddie Howe’s side are currently 19th in the league and have the joint-worst defensive record having shipped 42 goals during the first half of the season.

The need for reinforcements at the back is there for all to see but following their embarrassing 1-0 defeat in the FA Cup third round to Cambridge, its cleat the Magpies need to find a striker who can replicate the goalscoring form of Wilson and are pushing to get a deal done before their next match on Saturday.

Newcastle face a relegation battle with fellow strugglers Watford at St James’ Park next weekend and must-win if they are to keep their survival hopes alive. This makes the need for a striker even more desperate as the Magpies face Leeds (A) and Everton (H) in their other Premier League fixtures – two very winnable games.

Callum Wilson has accounted for almost a third of Newcastle’s goals this season and with midfielder Joe Willock unable to replicate his form that kept the Magpies in the league last season, the need to replace the current Number 9 who is set to miss two months, is crucial.

The signing of Kieran Trippier from Atletico Madrid last week for a fee of £12m is exactly the sort of business the club and fans need while they move into their new era and could be a sign of the times. He is thought to be the first of four or five January recruits as Howe looks to bolster Newcastle’s chances of retaining their Premier League status come the end of the season.

Newcastle played without a named striker on Saturday as they fell to defeat against League One side Cambridge United in the FA Cup and struggled massively without a figurehead leading the line. After the game, Howe confirmed the injury to Wilson is worse than first thought and the veteran striker is set to miss the next two months with a calf problem.

WHO ARE THE CURRENT OPTIONS?

Sky Sports have reported a number of names on Howe’s radar but Newcastle fans are rightly skeptical of the majority of rumoured options.

Following the Saudi-led takeover of the club back in October, Newcastle are expected to bring in major reinforcements during the January transfer window and with the financial backing of the new owners, the Magpies have the money available to spend big.

Therefore the club need to sign a striker and fast, but who are the options?

Divock Origi

The Belgian striker is a benchwarmer at Liverpool but has scored some important goals in his time at the Reds and could be exactly what Newcastle need for the remainder of the season.

His major influence has come in the Champions League where he scored in the memorable victory over Barcelona before netting in the final win over Spurs. Origi also scored a later winner over Wolves earlier this season.

Perhaps Origi is not the striker wanted or needed to take the club forward in its new era, but he certainly has the talent and experience to score some important goals in Newcastle’s quest for Premier League survival. The 26-year-old is many fans favourite to join the Magpies but Liverpool may be looking to sell the striker on a permanent deal and this might not be Eddie Howe’s preference.

Liverpool forward Origi has six months left on his deal and is generating a lot of interest in Italy, but prefers a move to the Premier League.

Chris Wood

While no formal approach has been made for the Burnley striker, Newcastle are reportedly interested in calling upon the New Zealand international’s Premier League experience to help bolster their chances of survival.

Signing the 30-year-old would severely weaken a relegation rival in Burnley but represents an extremely underwhelming deal for Newcastle fans who are rightly expecting someone a bit more exciting, however the current situation of means that beggars can’t be choosers and Wood might score some important goals in Wilson’s absence.

Creator: Laurence Griffiths. Credit: Getty Images

Wood has been at Burnley since 2017 and has scored 49 goals in 144 appearances in his time at the Lancashire club where he has become a fan-favourite due to his heart and desire to win. He certainly has the fight needed and the experience of being in a relegation battle but does he have the quality to lead to line for Newcastle?

Dominik Solanke

The English striker was brought to Bournemouth by Eddie Howe back in 2019 and has been in fine form this season with his 19 goals putting him second in Championship goalscoring charts.

Solanke struggled at the Premier League level in his time at Liverpool and is yet to prove himself in the English top division but his record in the Championship has only been matched by former Magpie Aleksander Mitrovic.

Howe is a big fan of the 24-year-old but he would be a risky signing for Newcastle who need a reliable source of goals to keep them in the Premier League – something Solanke is yet to prove in his career to-date.

Ben Brereton Diaz

Diaz, who has enjoyed a stunning season to date with Blackburn Rovers after netting 20 goals in just 25 Championship appearances, is another option that could make the move to Tyneside.

Blackburn manager Tony Mowbray is determined to keep hold of the Chile international and has labelled him ‘not for transfer’ as the striker is expected to cost clubs over £30million to acquire his services.

The 22-year-old is another striker with a lack of Premier League experience but is yet to get an opportunity in the English top flight and Newcastle may have to take a leap of faith in their relegation battle.

reator: NurPhoto.
Credit: NurPhoto via Getty Images

He is in fantastic form in-front of goal and signing top stars won’t be easy in Newcastle’s precarious situation, but they can hope to lure youngsters like Brereton Diaz to Tyneside in the fight for survival. It could be a risk but Newcastle may need to take one as Wilson is set to miss the majority of the second half of the season.

Eddie Nketiah

The Arsenal young-gun scored a hat-trick in the 5-1 Carabao Cup win over Sunderland before Christmas and is out of contract the end of the season, with negotiations coming to a halt as the 22-year-old rejected the most recent renewal offer.

The 22-year-old is keen to leave the north London club to gain greater first-team experience. However, is lack of experience is perhaps the reason why Newcastle may steer clear of the attacker as the threat of relegation looms over Tyneside

The English striker failed to make the most of his opportunity yesterday evening in the 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest in which he was given a start. As it stands, Nketiah is yet to start a Premier League games this season and has only come off the bench on three occasions.

Patrik Schick

Now valued at £50million, a deal for the Czech striker seems extremely unlikely as Newcastle seek someone with a reliable goalscoring record to help keep the club in the Premier League.

The 6ft3in Leverkusen attacker has today been valued highly by the German club – a very risky fee to pay for someone unproven in the English top flight.

The Czech Republic international did steer his nation to a memorable Euro 2021 campaign, beating Scotland 2-0 courtesy of his magnificent effort from the half-way line which lobbed David Marshall and becoming the tournaments second highest goalscorer.

But with injuries up-front and teams aware of the newly acquired riches, taking a chance on someone like Schick is what Newcastle might be required to do if they are to avoid relegation to the Championship. He has 17 goals from 15 appearances this season and in his last season at Leverkusen, he accumulated 9 goals.

Hugo Ekitike

The 19-year-old has scored eight goals in 17 Ligue 1 appearances this season and is wanted by Newcastle, says Sky Sports. He only made his senior debut for Reims in August and is a France U20 international.

Seven of those goals, meanwhile, have come in his last 10 appearances, while he has also provided three assists for team-mates.

He has undoubtedly been one of the breakout stars in France’s top flight so far this season, with his emergence coming just a matter of months since he took the brave move to head on loan to Denmark in search of first-team football.

Newcastle’s owners are ready to invest in player recruitment as they are determined to maintain the club’s top flight status and they could even bring in two new strikers this month.Nineteen-year-old Ekitike may not yet be a household name outside of his native France, but the form he has shown in the opening months of the campaign suggests that he soon will be.

Thoughts? Who would you like to see brought to Tyneside? Can Newcastle find a striker to help keep them in the Premier League?

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