Nick Woltemade is having a big impact at St. James’ Park
Newcastle United have found a new cult hero in Nick Woltemade who has hit the ground running following his summer arrival.
Alexander Isak isn’t welcome back at St James’ Park. Newcastle United fans have made that clear since the Swedish striker forced through a summer move to Liverpool. At the same time, though, it was difficult to envisage how the Magpies would possibly replace their best player and top scorer.
And yet Nick Woltemade has done a better job of stepping into the void than ever seemed likely. The German wasn’t Newcastle’s first choice to replace Isak. He wasn’t even their second choice. Or third choice. It’s not clear how far down Newcastle’s list of targets Woltemade’s name was, but it certainly wasn’t at the top.
So far, though, the 23-year-old hasn’t just effectively replaced Isak, he has rapidly become the perfect frontman for Eddie Howe’s team. Woltemade has scored four goals in his first five Premier League appearances, also scoring on his Champions League debut. The German has made an instant impact.
There is no other player in world football like Woltemade. He is better with the ball at his feet than anyone standing 6′ 6″ tall should ever be. While Woltemade has proved himself as an effective targetman in his first few games for Newcastle, scoring a series of headed goals, he is also comfortable linking up play.
In many ways, Woltemade is the antithesis of Isak. While Isak was smooth in his play, Woltemade is gangly and awkward. Isak’s game is about making the most of his speed and directness in open space. Woltemade, on the other hand, is a more rounded centre forward in terms of his profile.
Isak is a better player, even if he is currently struggling. There’s a reason Liverpool smashed the Premier League transfer record to land him. Isak is the closest thing to Thierry Henry English football has seen since the legendary Frenchman last played for Arsenal. Along with Erling Haaland, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé, he is among the best forwards around.
Something about Woltemade, however, feels custom-built for Newcastle, not just as a team, but a fanbase and a city. The German has already made himself a cult hero. There’s something about his character that evokes memories of the 1990s and the days of Kevin Keegan’s great entertainers.
The Newcastle United project could have stalled in the summer. The loss of Isak could have set them back years, and the Magpies weren’t able to strengthen in the way they had planned. Having qualified for the Champions League again, it was surprising that Newcastle weren’t a more attractive proposition to more top-level players.
Newcastle’s summer transfer window became a last-minute trolley dash. They grabbed Yoane Wissa, who hasn’t made his debut yet due to injury, with Woltemade joining the St James’ Park club in a deal worth £69m that drew scepticism, not least from Bayern Munich’s Karl-Heinz Rummenigge who called Newcastle “idiots” for paying that much.
“It’s irrelevant, really,” Howe said in response to the comments. “The market forces dictate transfer fees – not necessarily any one club. We’re very pleased to have Nick with us. I think he’s started very strongly in what has been a difficult period for him because he’s been thrust straight into action with no training time of note with us. He’s done really well. We’re really pleased to have him with us and the transfer fee is absolutely irrelevant.”
It’s certainly irrelevant now that Woltemade is thriving as Newcastle’s new focal point. The 23-year-old is the Magpies’ top scorer and boasts the highest Expected Goals (xG) of anyone in the St James’ Park dressing room, suggesting his current scoring ratio will be sustainable.
Newcastle can still do more to get even more out of their £69m striker. The Magpies aren’t the most creatively productive outfit in the Premier League, ranking only 11th for Big Chances created so far this season. They lack a midfield playmaker in the mould of someone like Kevin De Bruyne or Martin Ødegaard.
This is where Newcastle’s progression must occur. As formidable as the midfield trio of Bruno Guimarães, Joelinton and Sandro Tonali is, Howe needs a different sort of tool to impose the Magpies’ own game on the highest calibre of opponents. There’s still a ceiling on what Newcastle can truly achieve with their current squad.
Woltemade, however, is a central pillar Newcastle can now build around, and at 23 years old he is likely to get even better as he continues to acclimatise to his new surroundings. His cult status could grow further as the German produces more and more big moments. Woltemade might not be Isak, but right now he is using that to his advantage.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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