Souness facing striking dilemma

Newcastle boss Graeme Souness faces the prospect of replacing £50m (€72m) worth of strikers in the summer if Craig Bellamy is offloaded.

The Scot had spoken before the weekend of his delight at the four main front men in his squad – Bellamy, Alan Shearer, Patrick Kluivert and Shola Ameobi.

Now it looks like three of them may no longer be around when the new season starts.

Bellamy’s histrionics at the weekend seem certain to have ended his time at St James’ Park. The club are awaiting serious offers for his services with the transfer window closing on Monday.

But even if he does not move by the deadline it seems unlikely he will have a part to play in the Scot’s plans for the rest of the season.

That would rob the Magpies of one of their most destructive – in the best possible sense – strikers and the exodus is unlikely to end there.

Shearer has shown no sign of going back on his decision to retire at the end of the season when his contract runs out, and although Souness believes his captain has another season left in his 34-year-old legs, the odds must be against it.

The loss of Shearer was always going to leave a yawning chasm and chairman Freddy Shepherd has been contemplating various solutions for some time.

He took the plunge last summer to recruit Dutch superstar Kluivert, backing the Barcelona star’s innate talent and reputation rather than recent form.

Kluivert has shown flashes of his undoubted brilliance but little more. The Dutchman arrived on Tyneside on a one-year contract with the option of a further two, but that option may not be taken up.

That would leave England Under-21 international Ameobi as the only recognised senior striker on the books with Michael Chopra on loan at Barnsley after failing to force his way into the team.