£124m spent but Newcastle no closer to striker solution

The match-winner was wearing Newcastle United's iconic number nine shirt as he took the acclaim of the crowd at full-time.

But Yoane Wissa was not being serenaded at Selhurst Park.

It was Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, who swapped shirts with his former Chateauroux team-mate after scoring a dramatic late double in a 2-1 win.

This was a tale of two contrasting cameos from the bench last weekend.

Whereas Mateta changed the game when he entered the fray, Wissa did not even touch the ball after being thrown on following his friend's second goal deep into stoppage time.

Fellow summer arrival Nick Woltemade only had slightly longer to make an impact when handed a rare outing up front in the 84th minute.

Although Wissa and Woltemade cost a combined £124m last summer, head coach Eddie Howe made it clear he did not pick the team "based on transfer fees" but as a result of what he saw in training.

Howe's words were a little revealing as he explained why goalscorer William Osula was given a surprise start.

"He's got the physical attributes, the determination to do really well," he said. "He's improving week in, week out."

Isak departure still being felt

Osula's recall was the latest twist in Newcastle's search for a lasting solution up front - seven months after Alexander Isak's painful exit.

The club were going to struggle to find a like-for-like replacement for Isak after he pushed to join Liverpool for a British record £125m.

It was viewed as an "impossible" task internally.

But Howe sought to bring in two strikers to share the load after Callum Wilson also moved on.

There was recognition that Woltemade previously had eyes for Bayern Munich and that Newcastle had targeted other centre-forwards after failing with moves for Joao Pedro, Hugo Ekitike and Benjamin Sesko.

Yet it felt like this £69m deal happened for a reason after Woltemade scored five goals in his first six starts for Newcastle.

Woltemade still boasts one of the best shot conversion rates (23%) of those players with at least 30 efforts in the Premier League this season.

However, in the absence of injured captain Bruno Guimaraes, the technical Woltemade has curiously been used more often in the middle of the park of late.

It had been a frustration of the coaching staff that they did not have more time to bring out aspects of Woltemade's game in the final third.

They certainly will in the coming weeks as a relentless schedule eases.

But Howe's creaking system has historically relied on a rapid striker who can get in behind - and also lead the press.

As much as Woltemade has had to adapt to a new style and a more intense, physical league following his move from Stuttgart, Newcastle must play to his strengths too.

Wissa's struggles and a turbulent summer

The Premier League-proven Wissa was supposed to help ease the burden, but he hardly had the ideal preparation.

The striker did not have a proper pre-season, after pushing to leave Brentford, and suffered a knee injury on international duty with DR Congo only days after joining Newcastle.

He nonetheless scored two goals in his first two starts, but has found the net only once since.

Winger Anthony Gordon was even handed an extended run through the middle ahead of Wissa before Osula got his chance.

Newcastle's recruitment record has historically been strong under Howe, but they have not seen enough of a return from a desperate £55m move.

The same can be said for an overall £100m-plus net spend last summer.

It was a turbulent period in which Newcastle missed out on a host of first-choice targets, operated without a sporting director and chief executive, and made the overwhelming majority of their signings when the season was up and running.

Howe was heavily involved in this recruitment drive, but it was rather telling that only one of Newcastle's five outfield additions - Malick Thiaw - started against Palace.

Jacob Ramsey and Anthony Elanga will be pushing for recalls for the visit of Bournemouth on Saturday, having been named on the bench alongside Woltemade and Wissa at Selhurst Park.

But Howe was not exactly proactive in turning to the quartet - even after Palace sounded a warning when Jefferson Lerma headed against the crossbar in the second half.

It was opposite number Oliver Glasner who ultimately seized the initiative with his substitutions.

'We have to work with the personnel we have'

Seeing such games out has been a recurring problem for Newcastle during a bruising campaign.

As much as Newcastle have a tendency to retreat and concede late goals, they have repeatedly failed to press home their advantage.

Only Manchester City have scored more goals in the first half than Newcastle (24) in the Premier League this season.

Yet Newcastle have thrown away more points from winning positions (25) than any other team.

No wonder Palace wing-back Tyrick Mitchell "knew we were going to get chances" as his side turned the game on its head late on.

This latest setback has seen Newcastle slip to 14th place and resulted in Howe's future coming under increased scrutiny.

"Sometimes personnel is the only thing that changes something," he said.

"But we have to work with the personnel that we have and we're very proud to do that. We've got a very good squad."