‘Write him off at your peril’ - boss
WILSON’S TALLY HITS 10
“WRITE him off at your peril.”
Those were Eddie Howe’s words after Callum Wilson took his tally for the season into double figures. Is it any wonder the Newcastle United boss wants to keep him beyond the summer?
Much has been made of Wilson’s immediate future on Tyneside and whether he will be one of the players to make way in the summer. After attracting serious interest from potential suitors in January, the next few months promise to be intriguing when it comes to the clinical striker.
Questions over Wilson’s future at Newcastle have naturally emerged due to the fact he is 32, has just one year left to run on his deal, has been playing second fiddle to Alexander Isak and given ongoing Financial Fair Play restraints heading into the summer transfer window. Not to mention his worrying injury record.
The former Bournemouth forward missed six games with a hamstring problem at the beginning of the campaign, then a further four with a similar issue just one month later.
Then it was an additional six matches on the sidelines with a calf problem before missing 10 more following a freak chest problem.
Wilson has still managed 25 appearances for Newcastle, in all competitions, this term and after his opener at Turf Moor on Saturday now has 10 goals to his name.
Wilson’s strike in the 4-1 win over Burnley now takes him to 47 for Newcastle in the Premier League, moving him into secondplace in that category behind Alan Shearer.
“Write him off at your peril,” said Howe. “He comes back time and time again. I’ve managed him for a long time now and mentality-wise,
“I wouldn’t swap him.
He’s a monster.
“Of course I want him at the club next season and I’ll do everything to make that happen.”
Wilson must decide whether recent interest is enough to tempt him into one final challenge, should it emerge again within the summer window.
Howe will do his very best to keep him - and I, for one, would be happier seeing him stay than watching him leave.
NUFC editor