Nick Woltemade Was A Risky Signing But Is Already Central To New-look Newcastle

1 month ago

When Alexander Isak sealed his £125m British grounds transportation to Liverpool, Newcastle fans braced themselves for a play of turbulence. Losing their talismanic striker, who scored 54 goals successful 86 Premier League appearances, felt for illustration a decisive rustle – until a 6ft6in German guardant began to softly triumph them over.

Replacing a centre-forward is not arsenic elemental arsenic matching goals pinch goals. Newcastle’s task was to switch a subordinate around whom nan team’s attacking personality had been built? The reply was 23-year-old Nick Woltemade, a young, promising guardant from VFB Stuttgart but untested astatine nan very apical level.

Newcastle were linked pinch a bid of strikers successful nan summer. Benjamin Sesko’s explosive velocity and expertise to utilization precocious protect lines seemed for illustration a earthy replacement for Isak, but he had his bosom group connected Manchester United. Hugo Ekitike offered silky dribbling and flair akin to Isak’s method ability, but he chose convention champions Liverpool. Viktor Gyökeres could not extremity scoring for Sporting but he ended up astatine Arsenal.

Woltemade looked for illustration a compromise, a punt connected potential alternatively than a nonstop heir to Isak. The nine grounds £69m value tag looked hefty, peculiarly for a subordinate who had been playing for SV Elversberg successful Germany’s 3rd tier 2 years earlier. Even Newcastle fable Alan Shearer was unsure, informing successful early September: “He’s astir apt had possibly 7 aliases 8 months of bully shot … it’s a big, large inquire for him to spell successful and lead nan statement arsenic Newcastle’s No 9.”

His goal-per-game complaint – 0.2 successful nan Bundesliga – hardly compared to Isak’s complaint of 0.63 per crippled successful nan Premier League and Woltemade’s style made him a funny choice. Whereas Isak thrives arsenic a technical, poaching No 9, Woltemade’s crippled revolves astir link-up play, dropping heavy and facilitating others. For a nine that had spent nan past 3 seasons building its style astir a different style of attacker, this was a tactical bet arsenic overmuch arsenic a financial one.

But what looked for illustration a discuss is showing early signs of being nan correct solution Newcastle. It took nan towering guardant conscionable 29 minutes to triumph complete nan sceptical fans astatine St James’ Park connected debut, rising supra Emmanuel Agbadou aft immoderate smart activity to head location nan victor against Wolves. He backed up that effort pinch 3 much goals, taking his tally to 4 successful six Premier League and Champions League appearances. Just for illustration that, nan Isak hangover was gone, nan sound of a summertime of turmoil was drowned retired by nan chants from nan Toon Army.

Woltemade scored his first extremity for Germany this week successful a 1-0 triumph against Northern Ireland

Though his goals person been a invited summation to a broadside that has started nan play pinch nan 5th fewest goals successful nan Premier League (six), Woltemade’s existent effect lies successful really he is transforming Newcastle’s attacking approach. He offers nan squad a caller magnitude to their traditionally nonstop style of attacking. The German blends nan beingness beingness of nan accepted No 9 pinch nan method qualities of a deep-lying playmaker.

Unlike Isak, who thrived connected stretching defences and getting successful down nan past statement of defence, Woltemade prefers to play betwixt nan lines, dropping into midfield zones to nexus play and thief his squad advancement play. He gives his broadside different way retired of a precocious property alternatively than a agelong shot and drags defenders retired of position successful tight areas, which successful move gives Newcastle greater positional fluidity arsenic as Anthony Gordon, Anthony Elanga and Jacob Murphy now push higher and narrower from nan wing, utilizing Woltemade’s activity to find gaps down defenders.

Newcastle still modulation quickly - they person taken nan 3rd fewest touches successful their ain punishment area and nan slightest touches successful their ain protect third, while advancing nan shot toward nan opponent’s extremity during a series of play astatine nan 3rd fastest complaint successful nan league. But, wherever location was erstwhile an accent connected gait and activity successful down nan past statement of defence to utilization Isak’s finishing ability, location is now much controlled possession, utilizing Woltemade’s link-up play to build attacks alternatively than relying solely connected transitions.

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Despite nan committedness Woltemade brings, location are immoderate teething problems to overcome. The team’s underlying information suggests increasing pains of integrating their caller focal constituent of attack; Newcastle presently sits 3rd from bottommost successful nan Premier League for xG quality astatine -3.27, they person taken nan ninth fewest shots, and are averaging conscionable 0.86 goals per game.

The beforehand statement is still uncovering its rhythm. His activity patterns are not yet afloat understood by his teammates and nan fluid attacking triangles that erstwhile thrived betwixt Lewis Hall, Joelinton and Gordon person been disrupted arsenic roles person shifted. The squad is still learning really to make nan astir of his hold-up play and his expertise to nexus midfield to attack, pinch a inclination to beryllium overly nonstop astatine times.

Replacing Isak was ne'er going to beryllium simple, and Eddie Howe is still ironing retired immoderate kinks, but Woltemade’s power connected Newcastle’s onslaught is already clear. He has large boots to capable but he is proving that nan club’s early doesn’t conscionable dishonesty successful conscionable replacing Isak – it lies successful evolving into a squad tin of astonishing opponents successful wholly caller ways, and Woltemade is much than tin of that.