It was a frustrating summer transfer window for Newcastle United as they had a real struggle in signing players, especially when they were looking to find a replacement for Alexander Isak.
They eventually broke the bank to sign former Stuttgart and Bundesliga sensation Nick Woltemade, who was signed for a club record fee of £69m ($93.4m).
With Isak’s move to Liverpool, Woltemade and Yoane Wissa are the two strikers, who will share the goalscoring mantle for the Magpies.
The Germany international has gained a lot of hype with his unique dribbling and link-up play as a striker.
Despite his tall stature, Woltemade is a unique player, who has great technical ability with the ball and a penchant for scoring goals.
The 23-year-old now has the pressure and weight of expectations on him to deliver in Premier League whilst also helping Eddie Howe’s men in Europe.
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Ahead of his debut against Wolves, Howe was asked about the German, and he told the reporters, “He’s fine [for Wolves]. He’s trained well and we’re really pleased with how he’s looked in the first couple of days. Big change for him, big opportunity for him. He’s got a great nature, a great character. He’s very calm and he’s gone straight into our training and not looked out of place. He’s shown his qualities. We’re really pleased with how he’s settled in.”
Unfortunately, Wissa is not available for this fixture and therefore the onus is on Woltemade to lead the lines for Newcastle and guide them to their first win of the Premier League 2025/26 campaign.
Newcastle will their miss two new signings against Wolves due to injuries
Newcastle United’s start to the new Premier League campaign was marred with a lot of negativity especially around Isak, who went on strike to facilitate his move to Liverpool.
Therefore, they struggled in the first few matches, playing without a designated striker as Anthony Gordon led the lines.
They showed great courage against Liverpool after going down to 10-men in the first half following Gordon’s marching orders. The Magpies could have drawn that game, but teenage sensation Rio Ngumoha came up with a late winner.
Now when they have signed a few players and also allowed Isak to leave the club, they are still facing injury concerns with players like Jacob Ramsey and Wissa, who are both unavailable for this match.
Ramsey suffered an ankle injury against Leeds United and is expected to stay on the sidelines for at least a month.
Meanwhile Wissa is under assessment after he picked up a knock on his knee during the international break as he featured for DR Congo in World Cup qualifiers.
