How Newcastle can finally replace Isak

Bazoumana Toure is the only attacking player who has been added to the Newcastle United squad during the summer transfer window so far.

The former Hoffenheim star has been brought in as a replacement for Anthony Gordon on the left flank, whilst Sean Steur and Aladji Bamba have been signed as midfield options, with Lukas Hornicek coming to start between the sticks.

Benfica right-back Amar Dedic is also closing in on a move to St. James’ Park in a deal worth almost £30m, further strengthening the backline for Mathias Jaissle.

The board, however, need to turn their attention back to the top end of the pitch after bolstering the defence and midfield heavily this summer.

Why Newcastle need to sign a striker for Jaissle

A new centre-forward should be added to the squad before the deadline at the start of next month, to ensure that the manager’s preferred 4-2-3-1 system is not left lacking a threat in the number nine role.

Despite paying £69m for Nick Woltemade and £55m for Yoane Wissa last summer, Newcastle are still yet to replace the goals that Alexander Isak provided in the Premier League.

The Sweden international scored 44 goals in the Premier League in the 2023/24 and 2024/25 campaigns for the Magpies, despite only scoring six goals in LaLiga for Real Sociedad in the 2021/22 season before the club snapped him up.

Woltemade and Wissa, unfortunately, did not come close to replicating his impact at the top end of the pitch during their debut campaigns at St. James’ Park last season.

After joining for a combined £124m, the pair racked up nine goals and four assists in the top-flight for Eddie Howe’s side, and none of Newcastle’s players reached double figures for goals in the league.

That is why the board should be looking to add another option in that position to provide another threat in the final third for Jaissle this season.

How Newcastle can sign their next Alexander Isak

Now, the agent of a player has revealed that the club are one of the teams looking at a move for his client, and he could be the German manager’s own version of Isak.

As quoted by Chronicle Live, the agent of Bayer Leverkusen centre-forward Christian Kofane has confirmed that Newcastle United are interested in signing his client.

When asked which teams have shown an interest in the Cameroon international, they said: “Chelsea, Newcastle, Everton, Brentford, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.”

Having scouted the player when the Toon faced Leverkusen at the weekend, Kofane’s agent allegedly views his client as a “€100m (£87m) player”.

It would be a risky piece of business by Newcastle because he is a young striker who is yet to prove that he can deliver on a consistent basis, but they took a similar risk when they signed Isak from Sociedad in 2022.

The Swedish marksman only scored six goals in 32 LaLiga games during the 2021/22 campaign, and Kofane’s statistics in the Bundesliga are remarkably similar to what the ex-Newcastle superstar produced in Spain.

The 20-year-old marksman did not produce goals and assists at an exceptional rate, but he got into great positions, hence why he missed so many ‘big chances’, and he showed great physicality at such a young age.

Isak’s success rate in duels in LaLiga showed that he had what it took to make it in the Premier League, which is exactly how it panned out, and Kofane appears to have similar physical attributes that would serve him well in England.

The Cameroon international, who has scored two goals in six caps for his country, is a young player who is waiting to make a breakthrough as a consistent scorer at first-team level, just as Isak was at the time of his move to the Magpies.

Signing a promising striker with high potential served Newcastle brilliantly once before and they should go down that route again by pushing to sign Kofane before the deadline.

It is a risk worth taking for Jaissle because the Magpies could have a monster on their hands if the physical marksman adds consistency to his finishing to go along with the creativity and physicality that he already boasts.