Forget Alexander Isak - Newcastle can sign £44m dream alternative striker and still have cash to burn
He scored 14 goals in a title-winning Bundesliga campaign
While there’s never a good time to lose a striker listed who’d improve almost every team in the world, there are certainly better ones than the end of July or early August for Liverpool to potentially snatch Alexander Isak from Newcastle, with a host of alternatives having been snapped in a remarkable and record-breaking transfer window.
With the Isak windfall, Newcastle would’ve been well-placed to chase Viktor Gyokeres, Victor Osimhen, Joao Pedro, Liam Delap or Hugo Ekitike and offer a guaranteed place in a Champions League starting XI next season, but all of those options are off the board leaving much slimmer pickings.
If Isak does leave Tyneside the best options include Yoanne Wissa, Ollie Watkins, and Jean-Philippe, who all turn 29 or 30 next season, and Darwin Nunez and Nicolas Jackson - the less said about them the better.
And with Manchester United heavily targeting Benjamin Sesko, after already pinching fellow Newcastle targets Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, a protracted pursuit of the 22-year-old who’s still far from the finished article seems risky.
Dusan Vlahovic especially with Juventus dropping their asking price from €40 million to €25m (£45m-£22m) over the course of the summer transfer window, but the Old Lady isn’t looking move on from their £67m striker at a considerable loss after just three full seasons simply out of charity.
If they were, sending him to the team of the wealthiest owners in world football would be a pretty poor Robin Hood impression, rather - his poor goal return of 36 games in that spell and a lack of involvement in build-up play are major warning signs for other interested clubs.
Rather, Victor Boniface may be the right man for Newcastle, available for €50m (£44m) from Bayer Leverkusen as Erik ten Hag looks to reshape the 2023/24 Bundesliga champions - an title that Boniface contributed 14 goals towards.
Boniface risk could pay off handsomely for Newcastle
Boniface would be continuing a proud heritage of Nigerian strikers on Tyneside, following in the footsteps of the Shola Ameobi, though unfortunately right now his goal tallies also resemble those of the ‘Mackem Slayer' who only ever hit double figures once in the league.
He was far from prolific at Bodo/Glimt and Union Saint-Giloise before that explosive debut season in Germany, and also saw him score once every 76 minutes in the Europa League.
Last campaign was a more chastening one for Boniface (and most other people involved with Bayer Leverkusen) as after a strong start to the season boasting six goals in his first eight matches, the Nigerian struggled for form and fitness and reportedly fell out with Xabi Alonso, starting just 15 games over the course of the season and netting 11 in all competitions.
However, Isak himself only scored six goals in 2021/22 La Liga before Newcastle snapped him up, and Boniface’s underlying numbers are a positive sign that he could improve his production on Tyneside under a manager who’s renowned for getting the best out of his players.
Unlike Vlahovic, who has a better scoring record but contributes virtually nothing outside the penalty area, no Bundesliga forwards had more assists per 90 minutes than Boniface in 2023/24 (one every other game) and he was seventh in the league for overall expected goal contributions across all positions.
Did playing with the likes of Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong help those numbers? Undoubtedly, but a supporting cast of Anthony Gordon, Anthony Elanga, Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimares and Jacob Murphy would be a series array of creative and attacking talent to get the most out of the 24-year-old.
Not the quickest but like Delap a monster with the ball at feet with a frame measuring 6’2” and 84kg, Boniface was in the top five percent of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues for successful take-ons in the last year per FBref, and converted them into a goal for him or a teammate more often than any other player in that category.
While his finishing could be sharpened, Boniface still posted an xG of three goals every four full games last season so he is getting into the right positions to become a truly elite striker if that improvement comes. In fact, his expected goals and assists per 90 minutes in the last year is almost identical to that of Isak’s at 0.72 versus 0.71 for the incumbent Newcastle striker.
Will Bayer Leverkusen sell another star?
Boniface’s availability isn’t a guarantee either, with Erik ten Hag appearing reluctant to continue the summer exodus from BayArena in a move that’s also frustrated Sunderland’s pursuit of Granit Xhaka.
The Nigerian did lead the line in Ten Hag’s first pre-season friendly - a 5-0 defeat to Flamengo U20s - but after that defeat revealed the scale of the task facing the Dutchman he may have come around to cashing in all he can to rebuild the squad more in his own image.
Boniface’s salary runs until 2029 so Leverkusen to hold all the cards but £44m for a striker who’s only hit double-figures once in his career is certainly an offer worth considering.
Even if Liverpool broke the global transfer record to sign Isak, there’s no one that Newcastle could realistically sign who could replace the Swede’s quality right now.
Rather, the Magpies will need to replicate his 23 Premier League goals in the aggregate and Boniface has all the raw tools to help Eddie Howe do that.