It’s going to be fascinating to see who leaves Newcastle United this summer.
While the PIF era at Newcastle has so far been defined by the players who have arrived at St James’ Park, potential outgoings look just as interesting.
Indeed, it has been a long and gruelling season for the club to have stretched Eddie Howe’s squad in almost every way imaginable.
There has been talk of a big rebuild and the club are reportedly looking to raise money through players, meaning it could be the end of the road for a number of the current squad.
Kieran Trippier, after all, is believed to be facing a rather uncertain future at St James’.
Still, he’s not the only England international who could be on the move.
Callum Wilson’s agents are thought to be looking for a move for him, with tensions said to be high behind the scenes after the striker was blocked a January exit.
Howe, however, has constantly spoken of his desire to keep the forward, who he hailed as a “monster” after scoring against Burnley earlier this month.
Now, the story has moved on somewhat.
Eddie Howe confirms “monster” will be at Newcastle next season
Speaking before the final game of the season at Brentford, Howe confirmed he expected Wilson to be a Newcastle player next season.
Wilson has also previously said he’d return for pre-season training, albeit was coy on his future beyond that point.
“I expect him to come back,” he told The Chronicle.
“I expect him to be at Newcastle next season. I love my players, I love all of them. But different players at different times you might have to say goodbye to them.”
Newcastle will be repeating a mistake if they keep Callum Wilson
There can be little doubt about Wilson’s goalscoring ability at Premier League level. Even this season, he’s scored nine goals in nine starts.
Still, trying to rely on Wilson going forward feels foolish. At 32, his injury record shows little sign of improving, having missed 29 games across all competitions this season due to various issues.
Alexander Isak is hardly without fitness worries himself at times and will need more reliable back-up going forward.
Wilson has been an excellent player for Newcastle and remains a palpable threat but expecting things to change in regards to his availability feels risky.
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