Newcastle United strike 'exciting' transfer deal in major £83m advantage

Just two days after officially joining from Sheffield United in a £15million deal, the 21-year-old made his Magpies’ debut as they rounded off their preparations for the new Premier League season with a 1-0 victory over French side Stade Brestois.

There were just under 34,000 supporters in attendance at St James’ Park and you can guarantee the majority didn’t know a great deal about their latest recruit. But by the time Osula left the pitch to standing ovation in the 70th minute, they will have liked what they witnessed.

Leading the line with Miguel Almiron and Harvey Barnes either side, Osula only trained twice in the build-up to first appearance but showed a brilliant understanding with his wingers, both of whom set up chances for the Danish striker.

A big lad - 6ft3 verging on 6ft 4 as Howe put it - unusually had rapid pace. Just minutes in, Osula showed pace and strength to get in between two Stade Brest players after being played in by Almiron down the right. His resulting shot was from a tight angle and the goalkeeper saved, but it gave a taste of what’s to come.

Possessing the pace to cause problems in behind, it quickly became clear that Osula likes to play on the shoulder. A touch inside and a quick ball in behind by Barnes, Osula needed only two touches before side-footing his shot into the bottom right corner.

And so he wheeled away in celebration in front of the Leazes End, so ecstatic that it took him a few seconds to realise the offside flag was up. The replays showed it was marginal but again, it summed his the qualities that were largely unknown pre kick-off.

“I think he did really well when you consider before joining us he hadn’t trained for about seven to eight days with a concussion so we knew him playing today he probably wasn't at his peak physical condition,” Howe told NewcastleWorld.

“He had done the majority of pre-season before that but when you don’t train in that period of time it can affect you but I thought he showed his qualities today.

“I think you can see what he’s going to bring to the team, pace, strength and I thought he took his goal really well, really disappointed it was a marginal offside but he can be really pleased with his day's work.”

Say it quietly... those two moments were shades of Alexander Isak. He too has a similar physique - so who better to learn off than the Swede himself? And we shouldn’t discount Callum Wilson either who, despite his injury problems, is a quality Premier League goal-scorer.

United haven’t had a third choice centre-forward since offloading Chris Wood to Nottingham Forest over 18 months. As well as Wilson in that time, Isak too has suffered with injuries due to the shear amount of games and Howe’s inability to give him a breather.

Having Osula should give the £83million pair the best chance of staying fit and maintaining a high level of performance. It is a deal that can benefit everybody involved.

Because of injury management, recruiting a striker was imperative this summer. But in Isak, they’ve got a player that nobody comes close to when available. It looks like Howe has got the balance right by signing Osula, a player who is young, exciting and has plenty of room to develop.

And the relatively small fee paid - an initial £10m plus £5m in add-ons - has allowed United to commit spending a larger sum on positions that immediately need strengthening, such as a central defender and right forward.

Osula is raw, and it is worth noting that he is yet to score a goal in England’s top two leagues. But Saturday offered plenty of promise and if Newcastle - and Osula - can get his development right then he will undoubtedly flourish on Tyneside.