Have Newcastle United missed Callum Wilson?

I don’t think there can be much debate about what an excellent player Callum Wilson was for Newcastle United.

Although his time was blighted by injury, he scored plenty of goals.

I also think a lot of us, as Newcastle United fans, would probably agree it was time to move on when his contract expired.

Callum Wilson had just had his most injury affected season to date and never really got back to full fitness. He seemed slower, less physical and wasn’t anywhere near the threat of the previous four seasons. Prior to that final season he boasted an almost exact goal every other game ratio in the Premier League, scoring 47 in 95 outings.

His failure to get a single goal in his 18 appearances in the last campaign impacted that ratio but he still departed with an impressive average of a goal every 2.4 matches in the league.

Would I have been devastated had Wilson stayed on for another season on a decreased or pay-as-you-play contract? No.

Had we got the money offered for Will Osula late in the transfer window, and still signed the pair we’ve got, it may have been a shrewd option to keep Callum Wilson as a low cost third option.

He certainly would have come in handy when Yoane Wissa got injured. In fact, having a fit Callum Wilson at the start of the season, might have been the difference in those tight early games where the lack of a recognised striker hindered us.

But this isn’t a hindsight or rose-tinted glasses piece. Of course, we know that Wissa and Osula both got injured and that Wilson has somehow remained fairly fit. He’s appeared 18 times in the league (already matching his entire final season with us) starting eight and subbed on in another 10. He’s managed five goals and one assist.

It’s not a emphatic return and I still don’t think Super Cal is the player we had a couple of years ago. He’s not as sharp as he once was. However, he’s still got that predatory instinct. Bear in mind that he’s playing in a team battling relegation and has started less than half of the games he’s played.

West Ham are having an average of 10.32 shots per game this season, so they aren’t giving their attackers all that many opportunities. By contrast, our ratio is more than 25% higher with an average of 12.91 per game. But we have seen a lot of big chances go begging.

Had Callum Wilson been available for us, could he have been putting some of those away? I think both Wissa goals so far are ones that Wilson would have comfortably dispatched. They were instinctive finishes and were just about lurking in the penalty area and being in the right place at the right time. Our former number 9 was as good as anybody at that.

It isn’t just the chances not taken; it’s the ones not even happening due to that lack of presence in the key areas. How many times have we seen crosses flash across dangerous areas but with nobody gambling to get in a position to convert?

Would Callum Wilson have buried Yoane Wissa’s chance against Manchester City last week? I think it’s highly likely. I guess the question would just be whether he would still have the pace to have been in that same position. Would Wilson have got on the end of and converted one of Barnes’ delightful crosses on Sunday? Quite possibly.

The obvious argument is that he wouldn’t have been starting either of those matches anyway with a fit Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa likely to be preferred to him. If Wilson was to be playing, he’d probably only be a rotation option for the last fifteen/twenty minutes of matches.

But as he showed for West Ham on the weekend, sometimes that’s all he needs to grab a vital goal. We’re missing that lurking presence that will put himself about and convert those one yard screamers.

I think, in hindsight (I know I said this wasn’t about hindsight but let’s have a tiny dash of it), he would have been asset due to the injuries of Wissa and Osula. He may well have ended up injured again himself, playing our high intensity football but, had he stayed fit, I think he would have done a job and got some goals this season. We may not have even spent the big money on Wissa if Wilson had stayed. It’s too early in his career to decide whether that would be a positive or not.

There were reports that West Ham were willing to end Wilson’s contract as Nuno wished to look at different options. I was pondering whether his return on a decreased contract could be ideal for Newcastle United and the player?

He probably didn’t want to be a second or third choice with us when the summer came around. However, with him not even a guaranteed starter for a relegation bound team, he may have now considered it not such a bad thing. We still have Champions League to offer and our next couple of months will continue to be fixture heavy so he would get opportunities. It’s looking less and less likely he’ll leave now, so that point would be null and void, but I think I personally would have welcomed a short-term return.

One thing that really irritates me is seeing a certain Alexander Isak in our list of all time Premier League goalscorers. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t really matter. That same someone is 25th if you look at our all-time scorers across all competitions. However, that’s not a graphic you’ll see popping up any time soon.

I would have much preferred Callum Wilson to have remained in that second spot and perhaps one last season could have seen him claim it back. I don’t think it’s realistic for him to overhaul the Swede in half a season, with limited opportunities, but you never know.

This article isn’t writing off Yoane Wissa or Nick Woltemade. I’m a fan of both. I think Woltemade has all the tools to become a sublime player, and I think Wissa fits our system perfectly and, once up to speed, should start finishing more chances and getting valuable goals.

However, I don’t believe either is a better finisher than Callum Wilson. He’s one of the best I’ve seen in the Premier League era, for us. I’m not writing off Osula either. He’s a bit of an enigma and I’m still not certain whether he’s just a lunatic with pace and skill but no footballing brain, or a fledgling talent with a high ceiling that just needs to be nurtured and his potential unlocked.

If Osula stays, I would keep our attacking options as they are. However, if we get another tempting offer for Osula which will help us strengthen in other areas, I wouldn’t be completely opposed to having Wilson back on a short term, pay-as-you-play contract to give us an extra option up top, if he’s available for a nominal fee.

You can follow the author on Twitter @billymerlin