Newcastle United are in trouble, with defeat at St. James’ Park against Aston Villa on Saturday evening resulting in a chorus of whistles and boos from a frustrated Toon fanbase.
Perspective is ever important, and Matthias Jaissle would point toward the summer upheaval which has made his job rather hard. But the 38-year-old Newcastle boss still needs to demonstrate some form of strategy.
Frankly, Newcastle look bereft of ideas in attack – and marquee summer signing Matias Fernandez-Pardo is so far failing to offer the kind of attacking edge that has been absent since Eddie Howe and co sold Alexander Isak to Liverpool for £125m.
Why Newcastle still miss Alexander Isak
Isak was a force to be reckoned with on Tyneside. He’s made a strong start to the season with Liverpool, but after last year’s decline, it’s fair to say that the Sweden international still isn’t performing with the same potency and panache as he was defined by across three seasons with Newcastle.
His mutinous decision to force his way out one year ago left Newcastle in the mud, but Arne Slot’s Liverpool also declined, and Isak, indeed, scored only three times in the Premier League.
Still, he’s a world-class striker, and Newcastle have felt the consequences of his absence over the past year, with Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade both flattering to deceive in the final third.
After the duo’s problems last term, it was vital that PIF signed the right replacement up front this summer, but the jury is not only out, but leaning against the young Matias Fernandez-Pardo right now.
Why Fernandez-Pardo is struggling to fill Isak’s void
Fernandez-Pardo signed for Newcastle in a deal worth about £51m this summer, leaving behind a career with LOSC Lille in Ligue 1 which established him as one of the French division’s most promising attackers.
Last year, he scored eight goals and supplied five more, zipping between the wing and centre-forward. The Premier League has proved a different ballpark for the lad so far; he has not looked fantastic at the front of Jaissle’s team.
The 21-year-old might fancy himself a striker, but he is flattering to deceive in the area once occupied by Isak. The issue, of course, is that Yoane Wissa has also been poor, leaving the new manager with something of a conundrum.
|
Fernandez-Pardo’s Transition to the Premier League |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stats (*per 90) |
25/26 |
26/27 |
|
Matches (starts) |
29 (24) |
5 (4) |
|
Goals + Assists |
8 + 5 |
0 + 0 |
|
Shots (on target)* |
2.3 (1.0) |
0.4 (0.2) |
|
Big chances missed |
15 |
2 |
|
Accurate passes* |
17.5 (82%) |
9.2 (73%) |
|
Big chances created |
5 |
0 |
|
Key passes* |
1.2 |
0.4 |
|
Possession lost* |
10.1 |
7.0 |
|
Succ. dribbles* |
1.2 (44%) |
1.0 (83%) |
|
Ball recoveries* |
1.8 |
1.4 |
|
Def. contributions* |
1.0 |
1.0 |
|
Duels won* |
3.4 (42%) |
2.6 (43%) |
He’s actually quite effective as a ball-carrying part of the Newcastle system, but having only completed one dribble per game on average, Fernandez-Pardo has a lot to learn there as well.
There is a lack of incisiveness about the young Belgian, to be sure, but he also needs to accept that he is not playing to the standard required of an elite Premier League centre-forward right now.
The new Alexander Isak must be desperate to start
Fernandez-Pardo’s anonymity at No. 9 for Newcastle this season cannot go on. Jaissle needs to make a positive change sooner rather than later, and luckily, he has the perfect solution in William Osula, who is nearing full fitness after injury.
Osula was one of Newcastle’s brightest sparks last season. Despite only starting eight times in the Premier League, he scored seven goals, striking with a 30% conversion rate.
That’s remarkable accuracy, and though the sample size was small, there’s no question that the Danish striker showed he has the potential to be a superstar at the front of this Newcastle team.
For reference, Isak hit with a 23% conversion rate across the 2024/25 campaign, his last in the Premier League with Newcastle. Of course, he played a much more prominent role, bagging 23 times across 34 matches.
Meanwhile, Fernandez-Pardo has yet to break his duck for the Magpies, and in France, last season, he was far from accurate in front of goal, with a 12% conversion rate illustrating exactly why he should not be starring as the main man in attack for Newcastle.
After two substitute appearances, it’s surely high time that Osula, a clinical striker like Isak, but also a dynamic and mobile attacker, is placed at the spearhead. He could be the difference-maker, making a more emphatic impact than the struggling Fernandez-Pardo.
