Eddie Howe has made it clear that he wants to keep young striker Will Osula at Newcastle United beyond this season—even after spending big on new forwards last summer.

The 21-year-old Danish talent has been turning heads with his recent performances. Osula scored Newcastle's first goal in their impressive 3-1 Premier League victory over Brighton, and he was also the lone bright spot in defeats to Bournemouth and Crystal Palace last month, netting the Magpies' only goals in both matches.

This is a remarkable rise for a player who wasn't even a Premier League regular when he arrived. Newcastle invested over £100 million in the summer to bring in Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade, but Osula has now claimed the starting striker role. It's a testament to both his hard work and the club's development system.

When asked directly if he'd like Osula to stay next season, Howe didn't hesitate: "Yeah, I'd definitely like to keep him. I think Will's a player of really rich promise, and he was when we signed him. We signed him with the view of developing him to try and build him to become a Premier League player, because that certainly wasn't the player that we recruited."

The Newcastle boss was quick to praise his coaching staff as well: "There was a lot of work and time that's gone into his development. Graeme Jones, Jason Tindall have done an incredible job helping his development, analysing his game, feeding back to him. And Will's done really well to stay stable, level, and commit to that development, and see the longer-term plan."

Howe added: "Great to see, then, when he comes into the team and gets an opportunity, that he grabs it. He's very hungry, he's very motivated, he believes in himself. I think he's got a really bright future."

The win over Brighton was particularly sweet for Howe, who had faced criticism from some fans after eight consecutive defeats across all competitions. When asked about the importance of the win personally, he offered a thoughtful response:

"But even when you're winning, that anxiety can exist because you want to do a good job. I'm desperate to succeed. I'm desperate to win games. So, I think when you're in management, it lives in every run that you're on. Obviously, the feelings of a losing run are slightly different to the pressures that you face when you're winning, but it's always there. And managing that is part of a manager's job."

For Newcastle fans, the emergence of Osula as a reliable goal-scorer is an exciting development—and with Howe's backing, it looks like the young striker's future is firmly in black and white.