I watched reported Leeds United target score 47 Premier League goals in five years - but he's not right for Elland Road

For a newly-promoted side, turning down the opportunity to sign a striker with 88 goals in 239 Premier League appearances is certainly a decision which would make any club executive think twice.

That is the call Elland Road chiefs will make this summer when it comes to the potential signing of England and Newcastle striker Wilson.

The 33-year-old's top flight record is an impressive one, bouncing back from injuries to rekindle goalscoring form, often at a rate of one every other game, even into his 30s.

On three occasions, the ex-Coventry City man has hit double figures in the Premier League for teams unfancied at the beginning of the season to still be there at the end.

So, why would a free transfer for a player who cost £20 million five years ago and has added 47 Premier League goals since then, not necessarily be a wise move?

This week, it was revealed by The Athletic that Newcastle had turned down the option of triggering an automatic extension to Wilson's contract, instead offering an 'incentivised' deal, likely to be a pay-as-you-play contract.

This past year has been the first season since his breakthrough with the Sky Blues 15 years ago that Wilson has failed to score a league goal. Admittedly, he has played second fiddle to the sought-after Alexander Isak at St. James' Park but whenever he has been available, Wilson has not found the net, as he used to so frequently.

While Newcastle and Leeds are fishing in different ponds this summer transfer window, with one casting their net for Champions League calibre players and the other probably not, Leeds should not be content with signing players their divisional rivals' do not believe are worth paying every week.

Wilson made 18 Premier League appearances this past season, totalling just over 350 minutes, 16 of which coming from the bench. However, as has often been the case throughout his career, the England striker's campaign was blighted by injury, which began with a back problem at the start of the season, followed by a hamstring issue which ruled him out the entire festive period and well into the New Year.

The player himself may protest that he has now been fit for several months in a row, appearing in each of Newcastle's last 14 matches, but the last time he completed more than 70 minutes in a Newcastle shirt was last season.

Even during 2023/24, Wilson completed 90 minutes on only seven occasions, the last of which was now over 15 months ago. It was a season in which his campaign was hampered by separate hamstring issues, surgery on a pectoral muscle injury and a calf problem.

Undoubtedly, Wilson's best period for the north-east club came during 2022/23 when he found the net 18 times in 31 appearances, despite starting just over half of Newcastle's 38 league matches that year. He remained fit for the majority of the campaign but his minutes were carefully managed, which has been a recurring theme throughout his Newcastle career, likely borne out of a lingering anxiety that excessive workload may trigger the recurrence of a past issue.

If Leeds are keen to add the experienced striker, as claimed by some outlets, Wilson is not likely to come cheap having signed a contract extension at St. James' Park as recently as September 2023. Moreover, Leeds already have an experienced centre-forward contracted to the club, believed to be one of the squad's top earners, who has had battles with recurring injuries over the past several seasons.

What next for Wilson, then?

For a prolonged spell on Tyneside, prior to the club's takeover by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Wilson's performances - and goals - were one of the few reasons, along with the unpredictability and occasional brilliance of since-departed maverick Allan Saint-Maximin, to buy a ticket at St. James' Park. The arrival of Middle Eastern wealth, revered head coach Eddie Howe and a throng of talented European stars rendered Wilson a bit-part player at best during his fifth and probably final season with the club.

The player's tearful exit from the field after Newcastle's final game of the season last weekend suggested a decision may have already been made in Wilson's own mind as to whether he will accept his employers' suspected pay-as-you-play terms.

But, just because he could be available to Leeds on a free and boasts an impressive goals record in previous seasons, does not necessarily make him a good signing. Displays this year have left Newcastle supporters in little doubt that the 33-year-old's powers are, quite understandably, on the wane. Injuries have taken their toll throughout his career, not to mention the last 10 years as a regular at the top level, which is longer than most Premier League players manage to sustain themselves these days.

Contrast and compare with Leeds' current first-choice centre-forward Joel Piroe, who appeared in 91 out of 92 league games over the past two Championship seasons. For players at the top level, availability is a top commodity and one which is perhaps valued more highly by coaches than fans - it is an attribute in and of itself.

That is not to say Piroe should without question lead the line for Daniel Farke's side next season but at the very least, it suggests he will be in the matchday squad for most if not all of their 38 league fixtures based on his previous injury record. Consider Farke's treatment of Patrick Bamford, choosing not to include him in matchday squads until he was convinced the striker was in a position to contribute, and ask whether the same fate may befall Wilson after a first injury at Elland Road.

If Wilson retained his goals record but also Piroe's availability, the argument for making his signing on a free this summer would be a great deal stronger, possibly even too strong to resist.

How did the recently relegated Premier League trio recruit strikers last summer?

Strikers deal in goals and if they're not starting, more often than not they aren't scoring either. Relegated sides Leicester City and Southampton added strikers last summer; Jordan Ayew scored five in 31 appearances, three of which, ironically came against the Foxes' fellow relegated sides, for example. Odsonne Edouard, meanwhile, signed on loan from Crystal Palace, didn't manage any at the King Power Stadium and made just six appearances amounting to 142 minutes.

The Saints' signing of Ben Brereton Diaz saw the Chilean international fail to win a game whilst at St. Mary's Stadium, before returning to Sheffield United on loan for the second half of the Championship campaign. Cameron Archer's £15 million arrival from Aston Villa yielded two goals in 35 appearances as he struggled to make an impact under Russell Martin and was effectively sidelined under dugout replacement Ivan Juric, all the while Southampton hurtled back towards the Championship.

Leeds will be up against it in the Premier League and need players they can rely on week-to-week. Their recruitment of a No. 9 needs to be nothing less than a home run, meaning if there are veritable doubts of a player's suitability or availability, they probably aren't the one.