Newcastle United fans demand Eddie Howe starts £20m player against West Ham

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Eddie Howe has the difficult task of picking Newcastle United’s starting XI against West Ham United.

The Newcastle United manager has been presented with multiple dilemmas ahead of the game at the London Stadium.

Firstly, Anthony Gordon is suspended. The 24-year-old serves the first of a three-game ban, as he prepares to miss the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool as well.

Elsewhere, Lewis Hall and Sven Botman are not available to face West Ham. Hall is out for the season with a foot injury, while Botman will miss eight weeks of action as he gets set for a knee operation.

With key players ruled out, Howe will be desperate to ensure the rest of his squad remain fit ahead of the looming trip to Wembley on Sunday.

Newcastle United fans call on Callum Wilson to start against West Ham

With that in mind, some Newcastle United fans believe that Howe should rest a key player against West Ham United on Monday night.

Amid recent doubts over Alexander Isak’s fitness, there are multiple Newcastle supporters on social media who would like to see the 25-year-old rested at the London Stadium.

READ MORE: Who is Alexander Isak? Age, Height, Family, Nationality, Roots

That would give Callum Wilson the chance to start – something that the £20million forward has only done twice so far this season.

This Newcastle fan wrote on X: “I would rather rest Isak and start Wilson. Besides Wilson has great record against West Ham.”

Another supporter wrote: “I would start Wilson, he needs game time and has an excellent record against West Ham. Bring Isak on for last 30 mins with Barnes and Murphy and win the game last 30 mins if we have to. We are the away team!

A third Newcastle fan commented: “I like the idea of Wilson starting and Isak on left. Wilson has to start because his record against West Ham is excellent. Give Isak 60 mins on left and then bring Barnes on for last 30 mins. All need game time before final, this is the perfect game for us to prep well.”

“Absolutely not. Wilson should start,” wrote one fan, who was asked if Isak should play against the Hammers.

Another fan offered the same sentiment: “No I’d start with Wilson and Isak on the bench then depending on how the match is going I’d put Isak on for the last 20 mins.”

Finally, this member of the Toon Army added: “Feel like it’s important to start Wilson knowing that we need him back scoring for the final. We know he’s good against West Ham.”

Alexander Isak should start against West Ham

You can make a strong argument for Wilson starting ahead of Isak against West Ham.

The 33-year-old has an excellent record against the Hammers, scoring 12 goals in 15 appearances.

On top of that, it would help ensure Isak is definitely fit for the Carabao Cup final on March 16th.

However, Howe simply has to start Isak. It would send a negative message to name the Swede on the bench, potentially giving West Ham extra encouragement.

Also, Newcastle cannot just focus on the Carabao Cup. The Premier League is very important, with the Magpies down to ninth after this weekend’s results.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
7	Aston VillaAston Villa	29	12	9	8	41	45	-4	45
8	B’mouthBournemouth	28	12	8	8	47	34	13	44
9	NewcastleNewcastle	27	13	5	9	46	38	8	44
10	FulhamFulham	28	11	9	8	41	38	3	42

It is vital that Newcastle get a result against West Ham and get their Champions League bid back on track. That will be much harder if Isak is not in the starting XI.

And Newcastle need momentum. That is something they did not have going into the 2023 final, and they do not have it in 2025 either.

That could change with a win at the London Stadium, and Newcastle are always more likely to win with Isak in the team.

While there have been fitness doubts, Isak has trained and should start. That is why he features in Geordie Boot Boys’ predicted Newcastle XI to face West Ham.