Newcastle United starlet shows Eddie Howe made potential £55m transfer mistake this summer

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Newcastle United have endured a slow start to the season in all competitions, though they finally managed to secure a huge victory after facing Union Saint-Gilloise on Wednesday evening.

A run of just one win in six in the Premier League has seen the Magpies start relatively slowly, with just four goals scored in those top-flight fixtures.

However, their Champions League trip to Belgium was a different story. Two goals either side of half-time secured a famous victory across the North Sea, with Anthony Gordon’s brace, Harvey Barnes’ late strike and another goal from record signing Nick Woltemade delivering the goods.

It wasn’t just the goal scorers who were on form, with Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali among those to receive praise for his performance.

Yet there is a young starlet who is equally forming his own path at St. James’ Park, and his inclusion makes one of Eddie Howe’s summer signings look rather questionable after some solid form.

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William Osula has burst into Eddie Howe’s plans for Newcastle United

William Osula was the third-choice striker last season behind Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson, who did well enough to fire Newcastle to their first major honour in 70 years, as well as securing a fifth-placed finish in the Premier League.

The duo have since departed for Liverpool and West Ham United respectively, opening up a huge void in their attacking ranks.

Whilst Nick Woltemade has had a huge say so far, with three goals in just six games for the Tyneside club, Osula is slowly but surely making his own mark.

The young Danish attacker joined Newcastle at the beginning of last season from Sheffield United, though he failed to start a single league game for the Magpies.

However, two starts in the FA Cup yielded three goal contributions, and one start in the League Cup helped Eddie Howe’s men to the trophy.

But it’s this season where he’s properly made his mark. A brace against Bradford City in the League Cup showed his quality earlier this month, and he scored against Liverpool in an enthralling game at the end of August.

His assist for Harvey Barnes on Wednesday further cemented his status in the North East just seven minutes after coming on, and it’s given Howe food for thought.

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William Osula’s development has made Newcastle’s Yoane Wissa signing questionable

Of course, the Magpies boss signed Brentford star Yoane Wissa in the summer for a fee of £55million, after he scored an impressive 19 goals for the Bees in the top-flight last season.

However, with Osula impressing and Woltemade seemingly making the starting role his own, it could prove to be a transfer mistake by Newcastle.

Osula’s development will be halted if Wissa moves ahead of him in the pecking order, and the former Sheffield United starlet has done nothing to warrant being moved down to third choice.

He did little to warrant such a place in his time at the Blades, with just three goals in 31 outings, despite a somewhat decent loan spell at Derby County – and despite Wissa’s evident Premier League talent, robbing the youngster of that chance seems counterintuitive.

It seems to be Osula’s shirt to lose after some strong performances, and now Wissa may have a struggle on his hands.