Newcastle United's trip to Bournemouth this weekend will give Eddie Howe the opportunity to choose from a £160m quintet of attacking talent for the first time this season. Callum Wilson, Miguel Almiron, Allan Saint-Maximin, Alexander Isak and new addition Anthony Gordon are all expected to be available for the trip to the south coast, with opinion split on which trio should get the nod at the Vitality Stadium and beyond.
Howe has been reluctant to tinker with his settled side in recent weeks following a lengthy unbeaten run in the Premier League. However, heading into the business end of the season, the Magpies boss has a positive headache regarding his attacking options.
For starters, there is Wilson. Newcastle's No 9 and go-to man in recent seasons. After an unusual dip in form since returning from the Qatar World Cup, the Magpies striker was back among the goals with a well-taken finish in the 1-1 draw with West Ham.
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The England international has suddenly faced the threat of losing his position at the tip of Newcastle's three-pronged attack following the arrival of Isak. Many of the Geordie faithful would consistently go with a fully fit and firing Wilson but his injury record will always leave nagging doubts over his long-term availability.
For Isak, it is a positive that he looks just as home playing out wide as he does down the middle. The Swede found the net when playing as a No 10 against Fulham earlier this month and made the difference off the bench in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Southampton.
The jury is still out regarding Isak's best position but it is a huge advantage that he could be deployed across any of the three attacking slots. The former Real Sociedad forward was forced to sit out the 1-1 draw with West Ham on Saturday but will be back in the fold this weekend after overcoming a slight concussion he suffered in the win over Southampton.
Isak has competition to overcome if he is to occupy a wide role in Howe's setup. Saint-Maximin's return to fitness has seen him handed multiple cameo appearances of late, as well as a start at St James' Park at the weekend.
The Frenchman returned from the outset for the first time in five months in the draw, with opinion split as to whether did enough to keep his spot before Bruno Guimaraes' return later this month. However, Saint-Maximin did use his post-match interview to clear up any doubts over his happiness on Tyneside.
"I want to be honest because I’m not going to lie," Saint-Maximin said. "When you are in the situation [of not playing much], a lot of teams can see that and think it’s the right opportunity to come and buy the player.
"But I’m very proud to be here, and the most important thing for me is to play. I will always try to be in a position where I play every game because no player plays football to be on the bench."
Almiron continues to occupy the opposite flank after a stellar start to the season. The Paraguayan could hardly miss the target in the first half of the campaign as he achieved his best goal return in a single season before Christmas had even rolled around.
The goals have dried up in recent weeks but Almiron continues to work hard for Howe's side and still looks to be enjoying a significant amount of confidence with the ball. Will that be enough to save his spot?
Both Almiron and Saint-Maximin will be on alert following Gordon's £40m arrival on Tyneside. Pursued in the summer to no avail, Newcastle finally secured their man in the January window.
Gordon was handed his Newcastle debut off the bench against West Ham, with the 21-year-old impressing in his brief cameo in the second half. The former Everton star is already winning over supporters who are wanting to see more.
And the player himself insists he wants to add goals to this Newcastle team. "Goals and assists are where I want to excel at," Gordon said during an interview for Newcastle's official matchday programme.
"I haven't been able to show that because the other teams I've played in have struggled, which hasn't been easy. Now I'm at Newcastle, and with the players around me as well as the manager, hopefully I can push forward with my numbers."
£160m worth of combined attacking talent... but few will envy Howe having to choose only three for his starting XI in the coming weeks.
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