As Newcastle United continue to build a competitive squad, Eddie Howe has a balancing act on his hands.
To fight across a number of competitions, more players are going to have to arrive to ensure Howe has the options to keep Newcastle in the hunt.
In certain positions, that has already happened.
Alexander Isak’s arrival has certainly put pressure on Callum Wilson.
While Wilson has come back into form of late, Howe has tipped Isak to be Newcastle’s No.9 going forward after a stunning start to life in the Premier League for the Swede.
For the most part, injuries have stopped either being fit at the same time all too often. Though clearly disappointing, it has at least meant Howe has not been forced into the difficult decision in choosing who starts until recently.
Clearly, having two lethal marksmen can only be a good thing for the club but keeping them both happy long-term could well be an ask.
Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak’s relationship so far
That issue, however, has not yet developed for Newcastle.
According to The Athletic, Wilson and Isak are healthy rivals.
Naturally, each of the two are said to be determined to be the leading striker for the club. But, for now at least, there is a mutual respect between the pair.
The report does suggest though that Howe may have to “balance” things going forward to keep both Wilson and Isak happy.
Something Newcastle simply have to get used to
As we get deeper and deeper into the PIF era, this is almost certain to happen in more positions.
The likes of Manchester City and Liverpool boast huge options across their squads, with Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp respectively having the authority to keep them all largely happy.
Given Howe picked Newcastle up at a low base and previously managed a reasonably plucky Bournemouth team, it would perhaps be fair to say that may be a relatively new aspect of management for him to master.
Luckily for Newcastle, little about his work so far suggests that it is beyond him.
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