Newcastle show Ange Postecoglou exactly what Tottenham are missing with £63m transfer blueprint

Tottenham's crushing 4-0 Premier League defeat against Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon highlighted a couple of transfer musts for Ange Postecoglou

Saturday afternoon was once again another game to forget for Tottenham at St. James' Park. It is never just a slender defeat when Tottenham lose in the north east against Newcastle United.

On the end of an embarrassing 5-1 defeat against the Magpies in May 2016 not long after losing out on the Premier League title to Leicester City, last season saw Eddie Howe's team hit Spurs for six. Tottenham weren't to concede another six this time around but they weren't far off after losing 4-0 in the lunchtime game.

Ange Postecoglou's men were second best all across the pitch and the hosts had ample opportunities throughout the contest to add to the four goals they netted. Opening the scoring through Alexander Isak after Anthony Gordon got the better of Destiny Udogie far too easily, the winger then grabbed a goal for himself two minutes later.

It was very much shades of 12 months earlier as Pedro Porro gifted Gordon the ball and Newcastle scored with their very next attack at a time when TNT Sports had barely finished showing highlights of the first goal. The Tyneside club scored at will in the previous meeting between the sides and it appeared for a moment that lightning could possibly strike twice at Newcastle's home.

Isak then put the game to bed six minutes after the restart with another smart finish, before Fabian Schar added a fourth with an impressive header from Gordon's corner. In terms of the match stats, Newcastle had 18 shots on goal compared to Tottenham's 11 and they registered five of them on target compared to the visitor's two.

The fact Newcastle scored with four of their five shots on target does not reflect well on Tottenham, with the same going for just how easy the goals were for the European contenders. At the other end of the pitch, Son Heung-min, who was leading the line for Spurs, did not even register a shot on goal in his 58 minutes on the pitch.

READ MORE: James Maddison sent message, Son Heung-min woes - 5 things spotted in Newcastle vs Tottenham

READ MORE: Tottenham player ratings vs Newcastle - Son and Bissouma struggle with Porro poor before injury

The Tottenham captain has really struggled to influence things in the team's last three fixtures and a switch back to the left flank could be key to get him back to his best form. A new striker needs to be on Postecoglou and Tottenham's summer shopping list ahead of the 2024/25 season as they look to find the long-term successor to Harry Kane.

One player who has been mentioned in regards to a move to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium recently is Newcastle frontman Isak. The Swede has flourished on Tyneside since his move to the club from Real Sociedad and he so far has 15 goals to his name from his 23 Premier League appearances this season.

Isak has been in prolific form on home soil lately, netting eight goals in his last six Premier League appearances at St. James' Park. The 24-year-old is everything Tottenham need in a striker as they plan for the years ahead.

Not only is the Solna-born player very impressive in front of goal, he is also powerful and has the pace and skill required to get the better of his opponents. That was evident in the 4-0 win as his first strike saw him run on to Gordon's precise through ball, cut inside to send Micky van de Ven flying and then coolly whip the ball into the bottom corner to leave Guglielmo Vicario with no chance.

His second goal of the contest was rather simple as Bruno Guimaraes' long ball set him free on the halfway line and he again made no mistake with a very good finish as he slotted the ball beyond the shot-stopper. Bought for £63million in August 2022, Isak will cost interested parties a lot more than that figure if they are to prise him away from Newcastle United.

As much as a new striker is required in north London, what Spurs perhaps need more than anything is a new No.6 to help shore things up in the middle of the park. Newcastle completely dominated the midfield battle in the 4-0 defeat and it was rather too easy for them at times.

The midfield trio of Guimaraes, Sean Longstaff and Elliot Anderson were just stronger in the tackle and attempts to win the ball as they got the better of Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur and James Maddison. Bissouma was an influential figure in Postecoglou's Tottenham XI at the beginning of the season but his form has since dropped off by some distance.

Not helped by various suspensions and his participation at the AFCON in the early months of the year when it comes to regaining his best levels, the Mali international was perhaps a tad lucky to be named in the team for Saturday's game going on Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's second-half showing in the previous game against Nottingham Forest. The Dane did miss out on the team to start against Newcastle United but he was introduced in place of Bissouma early in the second half.

Tottenham lack a player who can offer the defensive line some protection and finding a No.6 perfect for Postecoglou's Spurs system is a must in the upcoming transfer window. Before the summer comes around, though, Tottenham have plenty to do on the pitch as they look to get some consistency into their game and try and ensure they secure a Champions League position for the 2024/25 campaign.

It's now just the small matter of facing North London Derby rivals and title contenders Arsenal in their next Premier League match in two weeks' time.

Want breaking and top Tottenham stories sent straight to you? Join our Spurs WhatsApp community by clicking this link.

Catch up with this week's Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here! In depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.