Former Newcastle United man tips transfer for player who would transform star

Former Newcastle United striker Louis Saha has named the player who he feels would form a strong strike partnership with Alexander Isak if he was signed in the January transfer window.

The 20-time French international signed for Newcastle in January 1999 during Ruud Gullit’s tenure as manager. During his six month loan spell at the club he made 11 Premier League appearances and scored one goal, he also bagged a goal in the FA Cup during Newcastle’s route to the final as they eventually finished runners-up to Manchester United.

Saha went on to have successful spells with Fulham, Manchester United, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and even Sunderland.

Despite his short stay on Tyneside, he admitted during an interview with Paddy Power that he is very please to see his former team back in the Champions League.

He also highlighted fellow countrymen Hugo Ekitike as a viable transfer target and claimed he had many of the attributes needed to be a success on Tyneside.

Etitike was twice linked with a move to Newcastle, in January 2022 and the summer of 2022, but despite the links he opted for a move to join French giants PSG.

The 21-year-old has struggled for game time since making the move to the French capital and earlier reports from Football Insider claim that Newcastle and West Ham were leading the race for the young striker’s signature.

Saha said: “Hugo Ekitike is an exciting player, and it didn’t work out for him at all at Paris St. Germain but going to a side that had Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé when you’re young is always going to be difficult. 

 “He’s been lacking confidence and time to impose his game. Newcastle will see that he has potential. He has quick feet and he’s tall. He can build a good partnership with Alexander Isak up top and there are lots of players who can play off him because he’s very intelligent.  

“He’ll have to adapt to the Premier League because it’s a different animal, but these signings are a gamble in the January transfer window.” 

The French forward compared Etitike’s assets to that of Isak and claimed the pair had a similar playing style.

He added: “Ekitike is more like Isak than Callum Wilson. There are elements to his game which he can improve, including his movement and finishing.  

“Isak is already close to being the finished product and he can score 20-25 goals a season for Newcastle. His energy levels are so high and he’s really hard to defend against because he’s really technically gifted. There’s massive talent at St. James’ Park already but I would be thrilled with another signing like Ekitike.”