Report: What Eddie Howe made Allan Saint-Maximin do straight after Mainz friendly yesterday

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Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe is gearing up for his first full season in charge after helping the club avoid relegation last time out.

The English boss fell to his first pre-season defeat yesterday as they lost 1-0 to Bundesliga outfit Mainz. 

It was the club’s second game during their trip to Austria and Howe’s men haven’t found the back of the net in either game.

Eddie Howe gives Allan Saint-Maximin shooting practice 

But the Magpies boss is clearly working to fix this issue, with the Athletic reporting that he sent Allan Saint-Maximin and Jacob Murphy back out for shooting drills after the game.

The report states that the two Newcastle players were practising shooting alongside a sprinting exercise with Howe’s assistant – Graeme Jones.

But apparently the drill further highlighted a glaring weakness that’s been on display during the team’s trip to Austria as they have struggled to score goals.

Newcastle are looking for a striker

As the last two pre-season games have shown, Newcastle need another goalscorer in their squad. Callum Wilson is a reliable striker for Howe but has struggled with injuries during his time at the club.

Howe has also converted Joelinton into a brilliant midfielder so the club are naturally trying to sign another forward.

But they have not had any luck so far, as long-standing target Hugo Ekitike recently signed for French champions Paris Saint-Germain. The Magpies had even reportedly agreed a fee and personal terms for Ekitike, but the player’s agents didn’t sign off on the deal.

Newcastle have also expressed an interest in signing Chelsea’s Armando Broja but Fabrizio Romano reports that West Ham United are ‘really close’ to signing the striker.

TBR’s View: Howe needs another striker before the window closes, Scamacca could be their man

While Saint-Maximin is a brilliant player, he isn’t a reliable source of goals for Newcastle. Callum Wilson has struggled to stay fit during his time at the club and question marks remain over his capability to play a full-season leading the line.

Howe will need another striker before the window closes or his team may struggle for goals if Wilson isn’t able to avoid injuries during the season. While they have missed out on Ekitike and it looks like the same will happen with Broja, there are other options on the market.

With Broja seemingly close to joining West Ham, Newcastle could decide to move for Sassuolo’s Gianluca Scamacca. He scored 16 goals in Serie A last season and could be a reliable source of goals for Howe’s team.