When Newcastle signed Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa over the summer, William Osula must have been contemplating his Magpies future.
The Dane already struggled for game time when Alexander Isak was at the club. Indeed, he registered just 124 minutes of Premier League action in his debut campaign at St. James’ Park.
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That wasn’t really a surprise. Isak was in flying form under Eddie Howe, as he ended the season with 23 goals and six assists. The Swede, despite a disappointing debut campaign at Anfield, is still one of the best strikers in world football.
Osula capitalised on Woltemade and Wissa struggles
Yet his departure hardly worked in Osula’s favour. Like a black-and-white Hydra, for the one frontman Newcastle lost, two more arrived in its place. And with Howe favouring a sole-striker setup, you can’t blame the 22-year-old for considering his time at the club. He even came close to a deadline day move to Eintracht Frankfurt.
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In the months since, though, Osula has gone from forgotten man to leading light. Woltemade started the season well. The German scored four goals in his opening five league outings. 57.1% of his total Premier League goals came in that spell. Wissa, meanwhile, didn’t make his Newcastle debut until December owing to a knee injury sustained on international duty in September.
Even then, the DR Congo international has failed to match his 19-goal haul from last season. Wissa’s netted just once in England’s top tier this term. There are even reports the Magpies would be prepared to cash in on the former Brentford man this summer.
‘He has a really bright future’
And with Newcastle’s season threatening to spiral out of control, Howe has turned to Osula to rescue the club’s faltering campaign. “I think he has a really bright future,” Howe said of the young striker following Saturday’s 3-1 win over Brighton. It was a result that ended a five-game losing streak and essentially extinguished any relegation fears.
Osula bagged the opening goal against the Seagulls at the weekend. In truth, it was harder to miss than score. Jacob Murphy looked to latch onto a long Bruno Guimaraes pass. As Bart Verbruggen rushed out to snuff out the danger, the Brighton shotstopper slipped and fouled Murphy.
The winger recovered to dig out a cross for Osula to head into an empty net. It was the striker’s fifth league goal of the season. This comes despite registering just 589 minutes of top-flight action in the 2025-26 campaign. Of the 63 players to have scored at least five goals, only Erling Haaland (112 minutes) is scoring a goal more regularly than Osula (117.8 minutes) in the Premier League.
Rough edges benefits Osula
Standing at 6ft4in, Osula at least has the physical standing to operate as a lone forward. He’s a presence in the opposition box, evident in that he contests 4.9 aerial duels and commits 3.2 fouls per 90. What’s more, he works incredibly hard off the ball to force opposition turnovers in a key area. Only three players are winning possession in the attacking third more regularly than Osula (147.3 minutes) for Newcastle.
There are obvious rough edges to Osula’s game. Conversely, his rawness almost works in his favour. It adds to the unpredictability to his game. Factor in his speed – “The fastest in the team now, I would say, is Will Osula,” Murphy said recently – and the qualities to the youngster’s game are going some way to helping the Magpies finish the season strongly.
“I’d definitely like to keep him. I think Will’s a player of really rich promise, and he was when we signed him,” Howe has said. He’s not exactly a headline grabbing forward but he’s one doing all the right things to ensure the Magpies are able to take flight.
Osula has now scored three goals in his last four league outings. While Newcastle laboured to defeats to Crystal Palace and Bournemouth in that run, the striker’s form in front of goal will aid the club’s cause to end the season well. And with Howe now expected to keep his job as Newcastle boss, the future is finally looking bright for Osula, whose role in this Magpies side was previously questioned.