Newcastle United seemingly have PIF and Graeme Jones to thank at least in part after their win over Fulham on Saturday.
Indeed, the Newcastle United owners faced a lot of criticism this summer but it was their decision to keep William Osula at the club. Graeme Jones, meanwhile, has been credited with playing a large role in his development in recent months.
PIF blocked Osula’s move to Eintracht Frankfurt on deadline day and the forward has since scored three goals while recording one assist in 12 games. Impressively, only two of those outings have come from the start.
The decision to keep the 22-year-old looks inspired. Osula was crucial in helping Newcastle beat Fulham, using his energy to help tee up a late winner from Bruno Guimaraes.
After the game, Eddie Howe paid special mention to Jones for his role in Osula’s development.
It hasn’t been an easy ride for Osula at Newcastle but the fans on Saturday were seemingly impressed.
Newcastle United fans chant William Osula’s name after win over Fulham
As per Craig Hope of The Daily Mail on social media platform X, Osula’s name was ringing out around St James’ after the full-time whistle.
Guimaraes obviously took many of the headlines thanks to his late goal but the forward’s impact was equally as important.
So much has been made about Nick Woltemade’s brilliant start to life at the club this season, as well as Yoane Wissa’s imminent return from injury.
Osula, however, proved that he’s capable of stepping up. If he can repeat it even just a few times over the rest of the season, the decision to keep him could look like a masterstroke.
Though PIF may well have sold had the finances been more favourable, they still had to be the ones to pull the plug. It would have been easy to cash in on a player reasonably far down the pecking order, especially as Woltemade and Wissa were both arriving to replace Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson.
The owners stuck to their valuation and when that wasn’t met, they refused to budge.
Hard work pays off for William Osula after going the extra mile for Newcastle United
Osula was spotted doing extra training work during the international break and he certainly reaped the rewards of that on Saturday. Though Jones and Howe may have all played a role in his improvement as a talent, the player’s own contribution also cannot be forgotten.
Woltemade may not be able to start three games in a week, and Newcastle face a huge Carabao Cup game on Wednesday.
Exiting the competition as holders at an early stage would be a huge disappointment. Osula could be called upon to step up and while the challenge will be to repeat what he did against Fulham on a regular basis, he certainly showed something to work with.
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