Journalist Keith Downie has claimed that he expects Callum Wilson to remain at Newcastle United ahead of next season due to his ‘close bond’ with Eddie Howe.
Wilson has been out of action since late December after picking up an injury against Manchester United, but he had scored six goals for the Magpies in the first half of the Premier League season, which sees him remain as the club’s top scorer, despite him not featuring this calendar year.
Newcastle opted to bring Chris Wood to the club from Burnley in January to act as an immediate replacement for Wilson, but the New Zealand striker has somewhat failed to supply the goods as he has scored just two goals in 13 Premier League games under Howe.
With Wilson being the club’s top scorer and Howe having a good bond with the striker, Downie highlighted to GiveMeSport that he believes the English forward will remain at the club in the summer.
Downie said: “He loves playing for the club, and the fans love him as well. So there’s a good relationship, and he’s obviously got a very, very close bond with Howe. I’d probably expect him to stay in the summer.”
Should Callum Wilson remain at Newcastle in the summer?Yes
No
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TIF Thoughts on Keith Downie’s comments…
Interestingly, the Magpies could reportedly be open to letting the striker leave this summer, so this comes as quite a surprise that the Englishman is now to stay at St James’ Park.
Wilson is currently valued at £18 million (as per Transfermarkt) and his current contract with Newcastle is not set to expire until 2024. Remarkably, Wilson remains his side’s top scorer with six goals in the Premier League, with all six goals coming from inside the box.
Only six sides have managed to score less often than Newcastle this season, who have netted 36 times in league proceedings, so it would come as no surprise if Howe was to bolster the attack in the summer, especially amid the club’s takeover, which means they will have extended funds to invest in the side.
However, Howe may look to keep Wilson and invest in a forward to either act as competition for him or to even play alongside him, but it would be hard to see their top scorer being let go or immediately dropped from the side once he returns from injury.