Newcastle United were indebted to Will Osula against Fulham, less than two months after he almost left St James’ Park.
The 22-year-old was the game-changer in Newcastle United’s win over Fulham, with his run and saved shot resulting in Bruno Guimaraes scoring the winner.
Will Osula was Newcastle United’s hero on Saturday, which has not been a regular occurrence for the forward since his arrival on Tyneside. While he has improved a lot as a player, he has not played a lot of football.
That was supposed to change this season, with Osula almost leaving Newcastle United on transfer deadline day. However, a permanent move to Eintracht Frankfurt collapsed.
That has proven to be a stroke of good fortune for the Magpies, and now Eddie Howe has admitted that he actually wanted Osula to go out on loan.
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Eddie Howe wanted Will Osula to leave Newcastle United on loan
Ahead of Newcastle United vs Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup, Howe was asked about Will Osula almost leaving St James’ Park during the summer transfer window.
“It was well documented that it was quite close that he could have left, in a variety of ways,” he said.
“A loan was always our preference because in our view we wanted Will to play. We wanted him to continue his development, which he did brilliantly last year, because he committed to a path of limited game time and big training time, with a lot of work with Graeme Jones. A lot of reviewing his performances and then putting work into action.
“The next step was to get him playing regularly, so that was the aim, and especially with us bringing two strikers in the thought was he could continue that development best on the football pitch.
“Obviously it didn’t happen, much to our relief because Yoane picked up an injury and Will’s vitally important. We believe in his talents. He’s quick, he’s athletic, but he’s added through his attitude to training, a better know-how and nous.”
Will Osula has taken his chance as Newcastle United get lucky
As Howe says, Newcastle are now incredibly grateful that Osula did not leave the club. Yoane Wissa’s injury has left the Magpies light in attack, but that does not tell the whole story.
Even with Osula remaining as part of the Newcastle United squad, he still had to take the opportunities that were presented to him. Howe was never going to play him just for the sake of it, having previously opted to deploy Anthony Gordon as a striker before choosing to pick Osula.
But Osula has forced that situation to change. He has taken the opportunities that have been given to him, resulting in him gaining more trust from the Newcastle United manager.
That should continue on Wednesday night, with Osula predicted to start against Spurs in the Carabao Cup. It will be a major opportunity for a player who has only started once for Newcastle against Premier League opposition.
However, it is an opportunity that Osula deserves, and one he will be desperate to take as Yoane Wissa edges closer towards making his debut.
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