Newcastle came close to breaking their record transfer fee when they paid Stuttgart just over £69million on the penultimate day of August to secure the signature of Nick Woltemade.
Ahead of Newcastle’s UEFA Champions League phase match in France against Marseille on Tuesday evening, we take a closer look at why Woltemade has started to struggle and how the Magpies can stop the rot before it becomes a serious issue.
Woltemade’s evolution to the Premier League
Following his stunning performance at the U21s Euros with Germany, the Magpies forked out over a massive sum to tempt Woltemade to England.
Six goals at the tournament, which earned the towering target man the Golden Boot award, nearly eclipsed the £68m that Newcastle paid Real Sociedad for Alexander Isak in August 2022. However, the fee brought criticism from Bayern Munich luminary, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who pulled no punches, with Newcastle accused of ‘idiocy’ over £69m Woltemade signing.
Isak’s departure from St James’ Park forced Newcastle not only to part with the aforementioned fee for Woltemade but also to purchase Yoane Wissa from Brentford for around £50million. The 23 goals and six further assists contributed by the Sweden international in 34 matches last season was only bettered by Mohamed Salah’s 29 goals. Manager Eddie Howe simply didn’t have a choice but to rebuild his forward department, considering striker Callum Wilson also left the club on a free transfer throughout the summer.
It hasn’t taken Woltemade long to write his name in the history books, as he became the first-ever Newcastle player to score on his debut in the PL and UCL. He has also joined a list of legends, Alan Shearer and Les Ferdinand, by getting his name on the scoresheet in his first three matches at St James’ Park. He is certainly getting to be a fans’ favourite already after the forgettable saga of Isak’s on-and-off, off-and-on and then eventual departure to Liverpool.
Dream debut to remember for Woltemade
Woltemade’s debut on the 13th September couldn’t have gone any better, with him scoring a 29th-minute match-winner against bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton Wanderers. He might have blanked in the 2-1 defeat at the hands of Barcelona in the Champions League and then against Bournemouth the following weekend. But returned in sensational style with a hat-trick of goals against Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and Brighton and Hove Albion in his next three league matches.
However, in the next seven matches across all competitions against Benfica, Fulham, Tottenham, West Ham United, Athletic Bilbao, Brentford and Manchester City, he has only scored against Spurs.
The threat of Yoane Wissa
With fellow new signing Wissa still to make his long-awaited Newcastle debut after suffering a posterior cruciate ligament injury sustained on international duty with the Democratic Republic of Congo.
This led Howe to play winger Anthony Gordon as a false nine as demonstrated in their goalless draw at Aston Villa in August. However, there isn’t a confirmed date for the striker as of yet, who scored 19 goals and contributed five assists last season.
There is every chance one of Woltemade or Wissa will find themselves among the substitutes before the end of the season, depending on the latter’s return from injury. Especially with Howe preferring a 4-3-3 formation, with only one striker starting up top alongside two wingers.
Interchangeable forward options are causing problems for Woltemade
The striker could easily put his current cold spell in front of goal down to the interchangeable nature of the wingers playing either side of him week-in-week-out. One matchday, it could be Gordon and Harvey Barnes accompanying Woltemade, but the next week it might be Anthony Elanga and Jacob Murphy. I’m certainly not saying that Newcastle’s first-choice striker cannot adapt because he trains with these players at the club’s training ground every day.
Beginning to feel the pressure of the Premier League
Woltemade could be starting to finally feel the effects of the fast-paced and unpredictable nature of the Premier League, compared to the slower pace he previously experienced in the Bundesliga. He made 33 appearances last season for Stuttgart, netting 17 goals and providing three assists after previously scoring twice in 30 games throughout 2023/24.
Woltemade has already made himself a fans’ favourite, as mentioned with his respective entries into Newcastle’s record books since his arrival on Tyneside. However, with everything discussed, there is every chance Wissa could replace him in the starting XI upon his comeback from injury. But the five goals and an assist in 15 matches, it’s not the worst record in the world for the 23-year-old.
