Newcastle United know that they will be without Papiss Cisse for their next seven games - but there is the real possibility that the Senegalese striker may not feature much for the club at all. Cisse will be 30 come June and it is public knowledge that the Magpies were close to allowing their top scorer to move to Russia in the January window - plus question marks remain around his knee, which is still not 100% right - so Newcastle must start planning to add a proven forward this summer. In some ways whether Cisse stays or goes is a moot point - Newcastle need greater strength-in-depth up front regardless. Ayoze Perez has been impressive but is still young and is not really an out-and-out forward anyway, Emmanuel Riviere has not really worked out and looks to just be a squad member, while Facundo Ferreyra's disastrous spell on Tyneside will certainly come to an end this summer. Chief scout Graham Carr will already have names in his mind and he will know that Newcastle require at least one senior striker if Cisse stays, and a minimum of two if he leaves. There are plenty of options out there - some ambitious, some realistic - but Newcastle need to spend in order to achieve even the meagre top-10 finish they desire each season. Here are 10 strikers Newcastle United must be making a keen effort to sign this summer.
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
