Newcastle leading the race for £50m Sesko alternative

Newcastle United have not enjoyed a fruitful summer transfer window so far, but Eddie Howe still has time to prove the noise is nothing more than a tempest in a teacup.

However, few of a Toon persuasion, if any, could say that Alexander Isak joining Liverpool wouldn’t be a detrimental blow to Howe’s grand plan.

It’s important to remember that the Sweden striker, who scored 27 goals last season, including a strike against Arne Slot’s Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley, may yet remain at St. James’ Park.

Though the club will be cautious about keeping a player, star man he may be, against his will, it would be ludicrous to cash in for a British record £130m sum without sourcing an able replacement.

And that’s currently the focus on Tyneside.

Newcastle’s search for Isak replacement

RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko is the top target at number nine.

However, the Magpies are joined in the pursuit of their quarry by Manchester United, complicating matters having already fallen short in many a transfer tussle this summer.

He’s not the only one on the radar, though, with GIVEMESPORT revealing that the Tynesiders actually lead Tottenham Hotspur in the race for Brentford’s Yoane Wissa, having been described as the ‘frontrunners’.

Wissa, 28, was one of the Premier League’s most prolific forwards last year, and Brentford want £50m for his sale.

However, his morale at the Gtech has deteriorated after what he believes is a gentleman’s agreement to leave for much less, terms shaken upon last summer. Brentford’s stance over the coming weeks will determine whether Newcastle will get their man.

As per the report, it remains to be seen if a compromise fee of £40m will be reached.

Why Newcastle want Yoane Wissa

Wissa might not be as ‘exciting’ as someone like Sesko, who is one of Europe’s most coveted strikers and billed as “the new Erling Haaland” by the likes of talent scout Jacek Kulig, but he’s proven in the Premier League.

In fact, he’s proved on English shores that he can chalk up 20-goal campaigns, and that’s something that could prove invaluable for Newcastle next season as they look to qualify for the Champions League once again, while fighting in Europe’s elite sphere concurrently.

Sure, the likes of Anthony Gordon would help someone like Sesko find their footing, but would the England winger not find a more secure partner in Wissa?

Gordon, 24, is one of the finest wingers in the Premier League, and he has forged quite the partnership with Isak over the past couple of years.

In 2023/24, Gordon was awarded the club’s Player of the Year award. It was his first full season in black and white, and he had contributed 22 direct goal involvements in the league to drive the Magpies through a frustrating, injury-hit season.

The recent term proved tougher for Gordon, who only scored six top-flight goals. Even so, his talent has been picked up by big hitters such as Arsenal and Liverpool, leading Howe and co to slap a £100m price tag on his head, warding such suitors away.

He’s described himself as “a nightmare for anyone” he comes up against, so athletic, so snappy, so fierce. Gordon’s movement and energy would be perfect alongside such a calm and composed finisher in Wissa, one whose pedigree in the division has been proven.

Wissa’s “absolutely sensational” finishing, as it has been hailed by Sky Sports’ Mark McAdam, is underscored through the data. The Congo DR international has posted 41 goals and assists across the last two seasons alone.

Having scored at a rate of 0.59 in the league last year, as per FBref, while keeping it crisp on the ball too, the data-driven site revealed him to be one of Isak’s most statistically comparable players.

It’s clear that he would add a sense of focus and confidence in the final third that Sesko perhaps might not, and that’s something that would only serve to enhance Gordon’s own game.

Thus, Wissa could be Gordon’s new Isak, a pillar of strength, a focal point, standing proud at the front and allowing the Three Lions star to shuttle up and down the flank, stretching and creating.

The ability to score many goals in the Premier League with consistency is a rare and precious thing. Isak would attest to that. To sell the 25-year-old to Liverpool is to lose one of the finest players in the world, and though the British-record fee that his sale would demand would ameliorate the loss, it’s absolutely crucial that that fee is redirected toward the right replacement.

Though that could be plural. Such would be the financial recuperation that both Wissa and Sesko could arrive at Howe’s door without Newcastle even topping the fee they would land from Isak’s departure.

And though Sesko has potential, it’s hard to imagine that he would provide the kind of goal threat that Isak has mastered. Wissa, obviously, isn’t as complete or technically sharp as the Swede, but he is settled into his prolific place in the Premier League, and so signing him would maintain a level of fluency that could in turn propel Gordon back into the ascendancy after a challenging season.

Here is an elite finisher. Perhaps not a natural-born goalscorer, but chiselled across a number of seasons in the Premier League. He’s worked hard for his opportunity, has Wissa, and now Newcastle must push to seal his signature and receive instantaneous success in the final third.

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