It has been clear to see that since the retirement of club hero Alan Shearer that Newcastle have lacked a goalscorer.
Since his retirement in 2006, the Magpies have had six no.9s that have failed to live up to the number.
Obafemi Martins, Andy Carroll, Papiss Demba Cisse, Dwight Gayle, Salomon Rondon and Joelinton have all found it hard.
To put it into context Shearer scored 148 goals in 303 Premier League appearances for the Magpies. Whilst the six that have followed have only managed 96 goals in 350 Premier appearances.
Shearer – 148G in 303A = 2.04 goals a game on average
Six players since – 96G in 350A = 0.34 goals a game
The need for a striker has never been more evident than in this current Premier League season. This season Newcastle’s top goalscorer is Jonjo Shelvey with five goals, whilst Carroll, Gayle and Joelinton have three goals combined.
With a natural goalscorer in the side, Newcastle’s league position could have looked very different than now. The Magpies have lost 12 games this season but five of those have been by only one goal whilst also drawing nine games.
The rumoured take over from the Saudi-led consortium could lead to high profile strikers being a target. But for now, I have shortlisted five strikers who Newcastle should look at with or without the takeover.
Donyell Malen
The PSV Eindhoven and Holland striker has had a breakout season this year. The 21-year-old has scored 17 goals in 25 games (all competitions) with 11 of those coming in 14 Eredivisie games.
The highlight of his season came against Vitesse where he scored all five goals in a 5-0 win at home.
Marcus Thuram
The son of World Cup winner Lillian, has taken the Bundesliga by storm since his move to Borussia Mönchengladbach. The speedy Frenchman built at 6″4′ has proved his level of versatility at the age of 22.
He has scored 14 goals and assisted nine times in 39 games (all competitions) and whilst those stats might not say ‘superstar’ 17 of those games he played as a left-winger.
Moussa Dembele
The Frenchman has been scoring goals for fun since he joined Celtic in 2016. That caught the attention of Lyon who paid around £19 million for him in August 2018. Since the move to Ligue 1, Dembele has scored 31 goals and assisted seven times in his 60 league games.
The downside may be the transfer fee that Lyon will demand. But when you consider Newcastle willingly spent £40 million on Joelinton, to spend the same or maybe less on Dembele seems a no brainer.Â
Alfredo Morelos
The Colombian has been nothing short of box office since his move to Rangers in 2017. The striker nicknamed ‘El Bufalo’ because of his playing style is one of the reasons that Steven Gerrard’s side has bridged the gap to Celtic.
He has scored 43 goals and assisted 17 times in 84 league games. However, it is his discipline that will be a concern if a move was to happen. He been booked 17 times and has been sent off six times in the league.Â
Tammy Abraham
This is probably the most interesting one. With Chelsea having faced a transfer ban, Abraham was finally given his chance at Stamford Bridge.Â
Abraham has grabbed that chance scoring 13 goals in 27 games in the league this season. However, first-team action may be limited for him with Chelsea signing Timo Werner from RB Leipzig.Â
A loan move with an obligatory to buy maybe the perfect deal for the Magpies.