Nick Woltemade needed less than half an hour to justify Newcastle United’s record summer outlay.
On his debut against Wolves, the 23-year-old Germany international scored the decisive goal in a 1-0 win before receiving a standing ovation.
The Gallowgate End gleed him with a new chant. His contribution carried even more weight after it was confirmed post-match that Yoane Wissa, Newcastle’s other forward signing, will be sidelined until after October’s international break.
The striker had joined training only days earlier yet slotted into Eddie Howe’s side with little sign of hesitation.
Woltemade became Newcastle’s one of the six senior signing this window on a £69m [$93m] long term deal.
What Eddie Howe said about Nick Woltemade pursuit?
Howe explained that his pursuit of Woltemade began well before transfer talks.
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“It would’ve been last season, watching quite a bit of German football. I enjoy watching as much football as I can, and after seeing him be outstanding in the Under-21 tournament, it became a genuine interest in the player,” he said [via Newcastle updates]
“He’s an unusual player and very distinctive. The more you watch him, the more you realise how different he is to the stereotypical size that he brings.”
“He’s very, very creative, and we saw flashes of that today [against Wolves September 13] with little touches and passes. They can really make a difference for us and open up a stubborn defensive line. We’ve now got a lot of work to do with him physically to perform consistently in this league.”
Woltemade rose through Werder Bremen’s academy, debuting as their youngest Bundesliga player at seventeen.
His move to Stuttgart last season delivered seventeen goals in thirty-three appearances, a campaign capped by finishing as top scorer at the Under-21 European Championship.
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