If anything summed up how this summer has shaped up for Newcastle then it would be their opening game of the new Premier League season.
It’s been no secret that the Toon have missed out on a number of high-profile targets from Bryan Mbeumo and Joao Pedro to Hugo Ekitike and Benjamin Sesko.
It’s been quite spectacular really, but with no Alexander Isak in their squad for the time being, a 0-0 draw with ten-man Aston Villa really was no surprise.
To suggest Eddie Howe’s men were toothless would be harsh but truth be told, any team in world football would miss a player of Isak’s calibre.
So, with seemingly no end in sight to this drawn-out saga, the Magpies must press on and finally secure the services of a replacement.
Newcastle's plans to replace Isak
The most prominent rumour of the last few weeks concerns Yoane Wissa. Newcastle have earmarked the Brentford centre forward as their favourite target but a number of issues have held up the deal.
Having already sold Mbeumo to Manchester United, the Bees have understandably been reluctant to sanction Wissa’s exit. However, with a move for Bournemouth’s Dango Outtara now in their sights, it’s widely expected that it will free up the room for Brentford’s star striker to depart.
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The Daily Mail’s Craig Hope expects to see a breakthrough this week but he’s not the only attacker on their radar.
Hope also suggests that Howe and Co have been given encouragement to sign Goncalo Ramos from PSG in the remaining weeks of the window.
Both spritely attackers, Newcastle could also look at further bolstering out wide.
That’s according to reports from Spain over the weekend that reveal the decision makers at St James’ Park are preparing a club-record £69m bid to sign Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth.
Newcastle are willing to offer Semenyo a large contract to join and would guarantee a position in the squad of real prominence, something that gives them confidence a deal can be agreed before the September 1st deadline.
What Semenyo would bring to Newcastle United
Newcastle need goals if Isak does indeed depart Tyneside in the upcoming weeks. Wissa and Ramos would provide them with firepower to a degree, but they’re certainly not the out-and-out replacement Howe and Co have been crying out for when lining up options like Ekitike and Sesko.
Still, Wissa, in particular, would be an excellent capture, having scored 19 goals in the Premier League last time out.
Ramos, on the other hand, might need a longer period of adaptation but he did still find the net on ten occasions in 22 Ligue 1 matches for PSG. In all competitions, he beat the goalkeeper 19 times.
Signing both would certainly go some way to replacing Isak but they’d need a supply line and in Semenyo, they’d find a quite brilliant foil.
Indeed, over the last year, the former Sunderland man has showcased himself to be one of the best wingers in the division.
During 2024/25, no player took more shots (125) in the entire Premier League. Also picking up seven assists in 2024/25, the Cherries sensation was bettered by just seven players for shot-creating actions throughout last season and there were some truly elite names on that list too.
1. Cole Palmer
202
2. Bruno Fernandes
193
3. Mo Salah
169
4. Enzo Fernandez
147
5. Bryan Mbeumo
144
6. Eberechi Eze
135
7. Bruno Guimaraes
133
8. Antoine Semenyo
132
He’s a menace, a constant threat, a nuisance to any backline. Semenyo demonstrated that on the opening night of the new campaign last Friday, putting racist abuse aside to score two stunning goals.
On the night, the Ghana international was a constant threat to the Liverpool backline, notably turning Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate inside and out for his second strike.
Picking up the ball inside his own half, the forward darted through the centre of the pitch in a way that was reminiscent to that Hatem Ben Arfa goal against Bolton all those years ago, before burying the ball past Alisson.
It proved why Semenyo is such an explosive talent. Capable of going either way on both feet, data analyst Ben Mattinson is a big fan, describing the 25-year-old as a “maverick”, highlighting that he is “unpredictable on the ball, a workhorse off the ball” and a “duel monster.”
Put it simply, but the Bournemouth star has it all and is only going from strength to strength in Cherries colours.
The winger may not be a direct Isak replacement but he’s certainly capable of picking up the Swede’s talismanic status.
He may not have scored as many as Ramos and Wissa last term either – Semenyo bagged 13 – but his explosive nature, Premier League experience and extra creativity certainly make him one of the most exciting names Newcastle have had an interest in.