Callum Wilson: Newcastle sign England Striker from Bournemouth
Newcastle United have signed England striker Callum Wilson on a four-year-deal from Bournemouth for about £20m.
The 28-year-old, who has four England caps, made 187 appearances for the Cherries and scored 67 goals.
Aston Villa were also interested in Wilson but withdrew a higher bid of £21m, with the former Coventry City striker preferring a move to Newcastle.
Wilson is Steve Bruce’s third summer signing since the collapse of the proposed takeover of the club in July.
He follows midfielder Jeff Hendrick and goalkeeper Mark Gillespie’s arrivalat St James’ Park on free transfers.
“From the minute I knew Newcastle were interested, it was definitely something that appealed to me,” Wilson told the club’s website.
“It’s a massive club with great history. Along the years, they’ve had great strikers so if I can emulate half of what they’ve done, I’d like to attempt that.”
Bruce, who has also been linked with Norwich City left-back Jamal Lewis and Wilson’s former Cherries team-mate Ryan Fraser, says he is “grateful” the club have made the signing happen.
The Newcastle manager said: “Callum is somebody I’ve admired for a long time and I’m delighted to get him. He has done fantastically well at Bournemouth and was deservedly playing centre-forward for England less than two years ago.
“The club has worked ever so hard to get Callum here and we have beaten off competition from a number of clubs.”
Wilson has scored one England goal – on his debut against the United States in November 2018 – and won his most recent international cap in the 6-0 win over Bulgaria in Sofia in October 2019.
The striker is the latest high-profile departure from Bournemouth following their relegation from the Premier League, with Nathan Ake moving to Manchester City in a £41m deal and goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale signed by Sheffield United for £18.5m.
Analysis
Kris Temple, Radio Solent
For Bournemouth, it was a case of where – rather than if – Callum Wilson would go.
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After a couple of cheeky water-testing low bids from Newcastle and Aston Villa, £20m seems a fair price for the player, given his age – 29 in February – and the fact that last season wasn’t a spectacular success for Wilson personally, albeit in a struggling team, with just nine goal involvements, compared with 23 during the previous Premier League campaign.
He’ll certainly suit the way Newcastle like to play; he has a great engine when used as a lone striker, but does need to regain the confidence and form that brought him his England caps, having just lost his place in the international set-up.
Bournemouth could still realistically lose Joshua King, while David Brooks also has admirers, but with Nathan Ake, Aaron Ramsdale and now Wilson departing, in addition to the earlier exit of Ryan Fraser, the need for two or three quality reinforcements is clear.
