Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe is desperate to secure a new striker before the club’s Premier League opener against Aston Villa at Villa Park.
With just 11 days remaining until kick-off, the Magpies are scrambling to address a glaring weakness in the attacking department.
“There’s not much time left (to get a player in for Villa). Especially when you consider you have to get any player up to speed with how we play, whoever comes in,” Howe told Chronicle Live.
“And get into the intricacies of what we do. It is not easy and it is not easy for people to do that straight away.
“We are still active in the market and looking for players.”
A series of setbacks in the transfer market have left Newcastle short up front. Efforts to bring in Joao Pedro and Hugo Ekitike both collapsed earlier in the window, while complications surrounding Alexander Isak’s availability have further strained squad depth.
Pre-season has offered few solutions. William Osula featured in three friendly matches but failed to impress, while winger Anthony Gordon was deployed as a makeshift striker in the clash against Tottenham Hotspur – highlighting the club’s desperation to find answers internally.
Howe remains hopeful of a breakthrough in the market, with Brentford’s Yoane Wissa and Aston Villa talisman Ollie Watkins reportedly on the club’s radar.
However, luring Watkins from their opening-day opponents may prove particularly difficult, given his importance to Unai Emery’s plans.
Newcastle’s lack of a recognised centre-forward threatens to undermine their early-season ambitions. The attacking burden is growing heavier as the days tick by, and Howe will be desperate to avoid heading to Villa Park without reinforcements in place.
