Newcastle United and West Ham United may have just been handed a huge January transfer window advantage. That’s thanks to Jonathan Burkardt’s injury at Eintracht Frankfurt.
That’s according to OP, who relay information from Sky Germany. They explain that Frankfurt will likely need a replacement for Burkardt in January.
The striker has suffered a calf injury, which is likely to rule him out for the forseeable future. And that’s left Newcastle ‘rubbing their hands in glee’. That’s because their negotiating position for William Osula has now been ‘significantly strengthened’.
Osula was close to joining the German side in the summer. Newcastle’s owners eventually blocked it on deadline after the Alexander Isak drama. Their interest has not gone, though, and they are reportedly eyeing a new deal in January at around €25m.
Now Burkardt’s injury ‘plays perfectly’ into their hands. According to journalist Patrick Berger, Eintracht are “now considering a winter transfer for William Osual, either a loan or a permanent move with the Magpies leaning towards the latter. Now they might have a better chance of getting the deal that they want.
Berger also reports that West Ham’s “Niclas Füllkrug is also being discussed internally.” The 32-year-old is set to leave the Hammers in January, with his agent firmly opening that door earlier this month.
He would be an ideal option to replace Burkardt. However, Eintracht “actually wants to focus on players with development and increasing in value”. Füllkrug doesn’t fit into either of those categories.
That means Osula would be preferred at this point. However, it could be a case of Newcastle vs West Ham in January. And both firmly have the cards in their favour thanks to Burkardt’s injury. That “dramatically exacerbates the personnel situation in attack” for the German side.
