Why Jonathan Burkardt should be Newcastle United’s striker target this summer

There is a growing sense that Newcastle United will enter the 2026 summer transfer window searching for a new centre-forward.

Yoane Wissa arrived with a reputation as a proven goalscorer and an experienced Premier League performer, but his first season on Tyneside has left doubts over whether he is truly trusted by Howe. Nick Woltemade arrived as the high profile, Alexander Isak replacement, but there has never been a feeling that Newcastle’s head coach sees him as the answer to the Isak shaped hope in the team. 

Selection decisions often tell the real story. Time and again, Howe has preferred different solutions rather than handing Wissa or Wotlemade responsibility as the focal point of the attack.

If Newcastle are serious about competing across the Premier League and domestic cups next season, they need another striker capable of leading the line.

And Jonathan Burkardt may be the perfect fit.

A Howe striker in waiting

The easiest way to describe Burkardt is that he looks like the type of forward Howe loves.

The German international is a highly efficient, versatile and intelligent centre-forward whose game is built around movement, work rate and ruthless finishing. He combines explosive pace with an instinctive understanding of space, constantly making clever runs behind defences and arriving in dangerous areas at precisely the right moment.

He is not a traditional target man. Instead, he thrives by stretching defensive lines, pressing aggressively and creating opportunities through intelligent positioning.

Those qualities are exactly what Newcastle demand from their centre-forward.

The role under Howe is about much more than goals. It requires relentless pressing, tactical discipline and the ability to create space for others. Burkardt already does all of those things.

The Mainz season that changed everything

Burkardt’s breakthrough came during the 2024-25 campaign with Mainz.

While Mainz were hardly among the Bundesliga’s biggest clubs, Burkardt produced numbers that placed him among the league’s most effective forwards. He finished the season with 18 Bundesliga goals and three assists, but the underlying data made an even stronger case.

He ranked in the 93rd percentile for non-penalty goals and the 91st percentile for non-penalty expected goals, demonstrating that he was consistently finding dangerous scoring positions. His finishing was equally impressive, ranking in the 88th percentile for goal conversion.

What Newcastle’s recruitment staff will find particularly interesting is how closely his profile mirrored that of Alexander Isak during the same season.

Burkardt actually ranked higher than Isak in several attacking metrics, including non-penalty goals, expected goals, goal conversion and expected assists. His creative contribution was especially notable, sitting in the 89th percentile for expected assists compared to Isak’s 76th.

No one is suggesting Burkardt is a better player than the former Newcastle man, but stylistically, there are clear similarities. Both rely on movement rather than physical dominance, both operate in dangerous central areas and both are capable of scoring and creating opportunities for teammates.

For a club looking for a route back to previous highs, that matters.

Proving it at Frankfurt

One excellent season can sometimes be dismissed as an outlier.

Burkardt’s move to Eintracht Frankfurt provided the opportunity to prove otherwise.

Instead of struggling with the step up, he continued to impress. During the 2025-26 campaign, he established himself as Frankfurt’s primary attacking threat, scoring 13 Bundesliga goals despite missing part of the season. His underlying numbers remained strong too, generating almost 12 expected goals while maintaining an impressive finishing rate.

That consistency is important.

Newcastle would not be signing a player coming off one good year. They would be signing a striker who has produced at a high level across consecutive seasons and shown he can perform under increased pressure and expectation.

At 26 years old, he is entering the peak years of his career.

Why Newcastle should move

Perhaps the strongest argument for Burkardt is simply how naturally he appears to fit Newcastle’s system.

He presses aggressively. He works tirelessly without possession. He attacks space intelligently and consistently finds high-quality scoring opportunities. Few strikers available on the market tick as many boxes for Howe’s style of football.

The financial aspect also makes sense. Frankfurt would undoubtedly seek a healthy profit, but a fee in the region of £45-55 million feels realistic in the current market. For a striker entering his prime with proven Bundesliga production, that could represent outstanding value.

Newcastle’s best recruitment under the current ownership has rarely been about chasing the biggest names. Instead, it has focused on identifying players who fit the system and improve the squad.

Burkardt feels like exactly that type of signing.

There are more glamorous names available. There are certainly more expensive ones. But few combine proven output, tactical suitability and attainable cost quite as effectively.

If Newcastle are looking for the striker to help lead the line during the 2026-27 campaign, Jonathan Burkardt should be near the very top of the shortlist.