Newcastle United fans have not seen much of Will Osula since his arrival at St James’ Park.
The 21-year-old has made just one appearance for Newcastle United since his £10million transfer from Sheffield United.
Will Osula made his Toon debut in the 3-1 defeat to Fulham, coming off the bench for the final 10 minutes as an awful Newcastle side lost at Craven Cottage.
It was a desperate performance from the Magpies, but a great individual moment for the striker. Eddie Howe has high hopes for Osula, who was brought to Tyneside as a project player.
Osula is aware that he will have to wait for his chance at Newcastle, but an opportunity could be on the way. With the Magpies taking on Wimbledon in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night, it feels like the ideal moment to give Osula more minutes in a Toon shirt. He may even start, with Alexander Isak ruled out due to injury.
Eddie Howe has been impressed with Will Osula since Newcastle United transfer
Osula is in contention to start against Wimbledon, and he has certainly impressed Eddie Howe in training since his summer arrival.
Ahead of the Carabao Cup third round tie at St James’ Park, Howe has been speaking to the media and praised Osula for his work behind the scenes, despite making just one appearance so far.
“With new signings, there is a process these players have to go through, depending on their respective pathways and how they get to this point,” he said.
“With Will, he’s come in and we were well aware that we would have to go to work as coaches and Will would have to go to work as a player to develop himself and improve every area of his game to become a Premier League striker.
“We feel he has the attributes to do that. Very, very quick. Physically excellent. Obviously he’s a tall and imposing character. His best asset is probably running in behind and stretching the line for us.
“He’s got some things to smoothen out in his game, but we’ve seen already, certainly from the battles he’s had with our centre-halves in training, that he has an ability to score goals and an ability to have a physical impact on the game and make it uncomfortable for defenders.
“We’re working hard with him. He’s working hard himself. His attitude has been excellent. He comes in with a big smile on his face every day. His career and his game is going in the right direction.”
Osula has the tools to develop into a Newcastle regular
It sounds like Osula has made quite the impression since arriving at Newcastle United. That is great to hear, as bringing him to the club was a bit of a risk. He is obviously a player with potential, and the hope is that he will develop into a Premier League standard striker.
Howe has seen signs to suggest that will happen, while he has watched Osula go toe-to-toe with his own centre-backs on the training pitch.
The Newcastle United manager seems to really like Osula’s physical profile. He is strong and quick, and that can be a dangerous combination in the Premier League.
Obviously he is nowhere near Alexander Isak’s level right now, but he certainly has attributes that make him an ideal backup for the super Swede. And the more Osula improves, the more he will be trusted to deputise for Isak.
For now, Osula is waiting for a chance. Hopefully one comes his way against Wimbledon, and it would be even better if he could open his account for the club. That will do his confidence wonders, and bring him closer to being a trusted member of Eddie Howe’s squad.