It seems like Newcastle United’s pursuit of Benjamin Sesko has hit yet another stumbling block. The Magpies are looking to sign the striker, and have gone head-to-head with Premier League rivals Manchester United. After already losing out on Bryan Mbeumo to the Red Devils, it seems Sesko is next.
New reports from David Ornstein on Wednesday morning suggest Ruben Amorim’s side are ‘closing in’ on signing the Slovenian forward. That is despite RB Leipzig accepting a bid of £74m up front, plus add-ons, from Eddie Howe’s Newcastle, with the player wanting to move to Manchester instead.
Thus, Newcastle must turn their attention to a new striker. If recent reports are to be believed, they are targeting someone who outscored Sesko last season.
Newcastle’s next striker target
Losing out on signing Sesko is a huge blow for the Magpies. He is yet another target who has rejected them, with Joao Pedro, Matheus Cunha, Mbeumo and Liam Delap some of the attackers who have gone elsewhere.
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However, they will be hoping to win the race for Brentford striker Yoane Wissa. According to a recent report from TEAMtalk, the 28-year-old ‘is a top alternative’ for the North Eastern outfit, if and when they miss out on signing Sesko, which seems inevitable at this stage.
However, a move for Wissa is something that could progress quickly for Howe’s side. Wissa’s ‘agent is now speaking’ to Newcastle, suggesting that the move is accelerating.
The Bees could ask for as much as £50m this summer if they are to part ways with another of their star attackers.
Why Wissa would be a good signing
It was a fantastic campaign for Wissa in the 2024/25 season. He was a key player for a Brentford side that was flying high under Thomas Frank, and enjoyed his most successful Premier League campaign.
In 35 Premier League appearances for the DR Congo international, he bagged 19 goals and assisted a further five. That exceeded the number of goals Sesko bagged last term, with the 22-year-old Slovenian star finding the back of the net 13 times in the Bundesliga.
One of the standout things about the “exceptional” Wissa, as Frank once called him, is the improvement year-on-year. His first two Premier League seasons saw him score seven times, before he scored 12 in the 2023/24 campaign and, of course, his 19 strikes last term.
The former FC Lorient star would also arguably be a better signing than another reported target, Nicolas Jackson. St James’ Park has been ‘touted’ as a destination for the Chelsea attacker should he leave this summer. He has been offered to Newcastle, according to talkSPORT, with Man United another possible destination, as are Italian giants AC Milan.
Across all competitions, the Senegal striker failed to outscore Wissa last term. He played 37 games for Chelsea, scoring 13 goals in that time, including ten goals in 30 Premier League appearances.
He started quickly, with nine goals in his first 15 games, but struggled to go on a consistent run of form after that.
However, it is not just the pure goal numbers that suggest Wissa is a better striker than Jackson. The stats on FBref go a long way to backing up the theory, and make for excellent reading in the Brentford striker’s favour.
For example, 28-year-old Wissa averaged 0.59 goals and 0.46 goals per shot on target per 90 minutes. In contrast, Chelsea star Jackson averaged just 0.4 goals and 0.29 goals per shot on target each game.
Goals
0.59
0.4
Goals per shot on target
0.46
0.29
Expected goals
0.57xG
0.5xG
Progressive passes
2.07
1.54
Ball recoveries
2.5
1.94
Of course, the £50m fee needed to sign Wissa is a big investment for the Magpies. However, they were willing to invest a hefty £74m fee into Sesko, and signing someone who is proven in the Premier League seems an excellent piece of business.
He is a big upgrade on Jackson, according to the numbers, both from a goalscoring perspective and off the ball. This could be a fantastic deal for Newcastle.
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