At times last season, Newcastle was simply devastating in front of goal. Eddie Howe’s free-scoring Magpies netted three or more times in 11 different Premier League matches.
This scintillating potency meant that the club secured Champions League football for the first time in 20 years.
Much of their attacking impetus is owed to the magnificent form of Callum Wilson.
In 21 top-flight starts, the 31-year-old scored on an incredible 18 occasions.
It is an even more impressive feat when considering is one of the few regular starters to survive the recent takeover – a testament to his quality and value to the team.
However, with the Magpies needing to juggle domestic and European football, they need to add as much depth as possible.
One name that’s been suggested to follow in the footsteps of Sandro Tonali by securing a move to Tyneside is Elye Wahi.
What’s the latest on Elye Wahi to Newcastle United?
According to Foot Mercato (via The Hard Tackle), Newcastle, as well as Arsenal and Chelsea are involved in a transfer tussle for the signature of Wahi.
The 20-year-old’s contract doesn’t expire until 2025 and Montpellier has reportedly made it clear that they are unwilling to do business for less than €40m (£34m).
Why should Newcastle United sign Elye Wahi?
The Frenchman rose to national prominence when he was a youth player at Caen, scoring 89 goals in the 2016/17 season at U14 and U15 levels.
As a result, he eventually moved to Montpellier and signed his first professional contract with the club in October 2019. The forward then made history in January 2021 when he became the club’s second-ever youngest goalscorer at the age of 18 years and 13 days.
This season, the youngster has been at his most productive, with 25 goal contributions in 33 Ligue 1 appearances. This included a strike in December 2022 in a 2-0 win over Lorient, which was the 20th goal in top-flight French football, meaning he is the second teenager after only Kylian Mbappe to reach the milestone in the last 40 years.
His prolific form meant that the £1.6k-per-week star bags 0.68 goals per 90, with a 37% conversion rate.
Ex-Caen academy director Francis de Taddeo has highlighted Wahi’s class, saying: "He is a powerful, athletic, and fast player with a range of dribbling skills where only he knows what he is going to do next.”
This praise has been echoed by Montpellier manager Michel Der Zakarian, who added: “He is able to dribble, he has speed, he has a good heading game, he is able to score with both feet. He has a good palette.”
A player of this quality can provide excellent competition for Wilson, who is gloriously thriving at Newcastle.
He ranks within the top 4% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for non-penalty goals per 90 and Howe has recognised his influence, saying: “He’s a hugely important part of our team, a focal point. We rely not just on his goals but his movement, his work rate. His appearance in the team gave us confidence.”
If the north-west giants can flaunt both of these wondrous attacking talents at the club come August, they will be well-equipped to deal with any challenge thrown at them.
