Eddie Howe admits there’s ‘work to be done’ with £10m Newcastle player who knows he needs to improve

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Newcastle United very rarely sign players who are the finished article nowadays.

Given the finances required, it simply is not possible for Newcastle United to splash out on a player who is at the top of their game.

Kieran Trippier is probably the only example of the Magpies bucking that trend, while the likes of Alexander Isak, Sven Botman and Sandro Tonali arrived with the belief that they were good enough to make a serious difference whilst also having the potential to get even better.

Then you have the other end of the spectrum – the youngsters who have been brought to St James’ Park solely because of their potential. In recent years, The Magpies signed Garang Kuol and Yankuba Minteh, while Vakhtang Salia is set to join Newcastle in 2025. He is a 17-year-old from Georgia who has been likened to Khvicha Kvaratkshelia.

Will Osula is a project player for Newcastle United

Will Osula also falls into that category, with the 21-year-old arriving on Tyneside from Sheffield United for £10million.

The forward is seen as a project player at Newcastle United, with the club hoping that he will grow and develop into an established Premier League goalscorer.

However, he is not at that level right now. Eddie Howe has high hopes for Osula, but is well aware that plenty of work is required to get him to a sufficient standard.

How Eddie Howe feels about Will Osula

Howe has reinforced that message during an appearance on the Adopted Geordies podcast.

During the interview, hosts Asim Chaudhry and Andy Jaye shared their differing views on Osula. The former liked what he saw when Osula started against Wimbledon, while the latter thinks there is a lot of room for improvement.

In the eyes of Howe, the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

“I think you’re both right,” he said.

“There were flashes of his ability [against Wimbledon], but there’s work to be done. He knows that.

“But he’s an exciting player.”

Newcastle United striker might struggle for minutes

Osula has not featured much since his move to the North East. He has made just two appearances so far, with the Carabao Cup win over Wimbledon proving to be his only start.

Newcastle fans liked what they saw from Osula that night, with the young forward producing some nice touches and showing a real willingness to press and work hard. However, it was immediately clear that he is still very raw.

That is probably why Howe is reluctant to play him in the Premier League, despite Newcastle fans complaining that Osula did not feature against Everton.

It is still very early in his Newcastle career, and opportunities will eventually come Osula’s way. For now, he just needs to focus on his work on the training ground. In truth, he could soon struggle to play even more, with Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson expected back from injury after the international break.

That is perhaps why Newcastle are considering loaning Osula out, but that would be dependent on another forward arriving, as we have already seen this season that Howe cannot rely on Wilson to stay fit and support Isak.