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Newcastle United are now in the top half of the Premier League table as a crucial January continues to chug along.

Eddie Howe has come out to state that the Toon’s start to the year is “season-defining”, with a mammoth nine games heading their way in all competitions, as another EFL Cup final potentially waits on the horizon.

Howe would have been delighted by the performance against Crystal Palace to kickstart 2026 with a comfortable 2-0 victory, but he will know his squad could still do with some improvements here and there, with the transfer window now back open for business.

Newcastle United looking at striker deal

With Sandro Tonali struggling to hit the grand heights expected of him this season, it’s no great shock to see that the Toon are planning to bring in midfield reinforcements in January.

The incessant rumour at St James’ Park at the moment revolves around Newcastle preparing to go all out to snap up AZ Alkmaar sensation Kees Smit, with a wild £52m valuation above the in-demand Dutchman’s head.

It’s not just centrally where Newcastle could look to add in additional bits of quality, though, with a new development no doubt piquing the Toon’s interest.

Back in the summer, it was heavily reported that the Magpies had bid a whopping £50m for Jorgen Strand Larsen’s services, with the Wolverhampton Wanderers marksman fresh off a goal-heavy campaign in the Premier League.

Now, however, with the Nordic striker’s reputation taking a battering at Molineux this season, TEAMtalk is reporting that Larsen could be available for a discounted £40m, with Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace, Everton, and Fulham all informed about the situation at hand.

Newcastle are also being kept up to date during talks regarding his cheaper availability, with Howe potentially winning another Nick Woltemade-style figure if the lofty centre-forward does desert the West Midlands for a chance at top-flight redemption on Tyneside.

How Strand Larsen is another Woltemade in the making

Immediately, the similarities are apparent when taking in their ginormous frames, with Larsen coming in at an imposing 6-foot-4 when powering through on goal.

Woltemade does have him beaten in this department, standing at a remarkable 6-foot-7, but, when weighing up the Wolves number nine’s debut season in the Premier League, next to the Bremen-born menace’s current potent campaign, the similarities are also clear for all to see in their shared goalscoring prowess.

Larsen’s debut PL numbers vs Woltemade’s

Stat

Larsen

Woltemade

Games played

35

17

Goals scored

14

7

Assists

4

1

Goalscoring frequency

186 mins

180 mins

Goal conversion %

26%

27%

Big chances missed

13

6

Big chances created

6

1

Stats by Sofascore

Looking at the table above, the numbers are eerily similar, with Woltemade surely in line to notch up 14 Premier League goals himself this season, if he can keep his blistering Toon stay up.

The table above is enough, though, to make Newcastle consider a £40m move for Larsen in January, even if he has just one league goal next to his name this season, with his finishing ability lauded as “phenomenal” last campaign by his ex-Old Gold boss Vitor Pereira, firing a goal home every 186 minutes.

It could just be that Larsen needs a change of scenery to get back to his best, having been plunged into a depressing relegation battle at Molineux, with his overall style of play – away from being a focal point with goals – also suiting Howe’s set-up.

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Indeed, although Woltemade has garnered a lot of praise this season so far for his “ridiculous” finishing ability – as he was once labelled by journalist Zach Lowy – he has also stood out for his general hold-up play, with the towering striker’s nous to find his teammates up top such as Harvey Barnes with ease even being heralded as “mesmerising” to watch by Sky Sports’ Andy Sixsmith.

The German’s perfectly timed backheel against Benfica in October would set Barnes on his way to slotting a chance home, with Larsen also known to be a selfless performer in trying to tee up his Wolves teammates, when at his Molineux peak, as seen in him creating six big chances last season.

Newcastle royalty in Alan Shearer has even praised Larsen’s hold-up play as “excellent”, with journalist Liam Keen also noting that the Scandinavian is “very strong” in holding off opposition defenders, before calmly playing a pass.

It’s a steep amount to fork out on a player who has seen his Wolves career fall to the wayside, but Woltemade cost a bomb, too, at £69m, as another £40m is possibly dropped soon.

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Everton sits just five points behind their arch rivals, Liverpool, in the current Premier League standings.

David Moyes’ Toffees are still in with an outside shout of a top-four position in the top-flight this season, with eight league wins now next to their name from 19 total games, after getting the better of ex-boss Sean Dyche with ease last time out to beat Nottingham Forest 2-0.

James Garner would collect a goal and assist to rub salt into the wound of his former employers, but Moyes would have been over the moon with Thierno Barry’s efforts at the City Ground, as well, as he collected just his second ever Toffees strike against Dyche’s hosts.

But, with only 20 goals put away all season long, the Merseyside giants could be tempted to make some signings up top this January, with a talismanic figure in attack no doubt steering Moyes’ men to even more victories.

Everton still keen on dream striker move

With Beto only on one paltry Premier League strike for the campaign, too, it’s clear why a whole host of attacking names are already being linked to the Hill Dickinson Stadium, a matter of days after the window has reopened.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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Indeed, rumours suggest that Everton have begun to discuss a January deal with wantaway Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Jorgen Strand Larsen.

Although with his tally of just three goals in all competitions this season, he won’t be viewed as a huge upgrade worth breaking the bank over.

However, landing the services of Ivan Toney would be a deal that would send shockwaves through the Premier League, as the ex-Brentford attacker continues to be linked with a return to England.

Realistically, the costs involved – with Toney’s wage for Al-Ahli coming in at an eye-watering £433k-per-week – render this deal somewhat of a pipedream.

But, the i Paper has suggested that this is a move that the Toffees ‘would dearly love’ to get over the line over the coming month, as they search for that missing focal point up top, with Toney picking up a stunning 131 goal contributions over his last five seasons in England and in the Saudi Pro League.

Landing the 29-year-old’s services against all the odds could see Moyes win his very own version of Romelu Lukaku, with the Belgian still revered to this day on Merseyside as a beloved goal machine.

Why Toney can be Moyes' own Lukaku

Lukaku’s lasting imprint at Everton is felt today, with Barry stating – after bagging his game-clinching strike against Forest – that he has tried to model his instinctive Toffees game on the 32-year-old during his Goodison Park peak.

Indeed, for the majority of his Merseyside stay, most of what Lukaku touched would turn to gold, with his deadly 87 strikes for Everton in total far outweighing his output at Chelsea, Manchester United, and West Bromwich Albion.

He would even be labelled a “world-class” finisher by one of his former Everton bosses in Ronald Koeman, with the Toffees often relying on the magic of their former number ten to get them out of some sticky spots.

Everton are crying out for a similarly impactful figure to lead the line under Moyes, as the mid-table outfit has fallen victim to a lot of goalless displays this season, with December seeing the Merseysiders draw blanks across three straight Premier League ties.

Toney’s goal record under Frank

Stat

Toney

Games played

141

Minutes played

11,992 mins

Goals scored

72

Assists

23

Hat-tricks

2

Sourced by Transfermarkt

This is where Toney could come to the rescue, looking at the table above, with the 6-foot-1 marksman hailed as a “special” presence in front of goal by his ex-Bees boss in Thomas Frank, when putting away a devastating 72 strikes from 141 games under the Dane’s tenure at the G-Tech Community Stadium.

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Moyes will hope he can strike up an equally red-hot relationship with the seven-time England international if an audacious move is successful, with the Glaswegian responsible for getting a hefty 55 strikes out of Michail Antonio at West Ham United, while also working alongside memorable attackers such as Lukaku during his first Everton reign in Tim Cahill and Steven Pienaar.

The “remarkable” goalscorer – as he has also been lauded by Frank – hasn’t seen his goals dry up in the Middle East, either, as seen in his 43 strikes and counting for Al Ahli, as Toney continues to impress wherever he goes, much like the well-travelled Belgian.

The financial aspects of this deal do make it a very far-fetched one to get over the line, with Strand Larsen’s signature a lot easier and cheaper to seal.

But, if arrangements can be made for Everton to somehow work around his steep pay packet, winning Toney this January could see a second coming of Lukaku arrive on Merseyside.

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