1 month ago
40
€75m well spent?
©TM/IMAGO
Nick Woltemade had already relieved some of the pressure on his shoulders by scoring his first Newcastle United goal against Wolves, which turned out to be the winner in their slender 1-0 victory back 15 days ago. Back at St James' Park on Sunday for an exciting match-up against Arsenal, Newcastle desperately needed goals - having found the net just three times in their opening five matches before this one. Understandably, the responsibility to score would fall to Woltemade, the most expensive signing in the Magpies' history. And here, he proved he is more than ready to fill the void left by Toon hero-turned-villain Alexander Isak with a talismanic display up front, despite watching his team fall to a late 2-1 defeat.
Player Focus: Nick Woltemade
He showed some silky feet earlier in the game that was particularly reminiscent of Dimitar Berbatov. Woltemade won't give you blistering pace, but he will use his towering frame, close control and aerial ability to spearhead the frontline. And the German delivered exactly what Eddie Howe signed him for in the 35th minute of the game to give the hosts the lead. A well-worked short corner found its way to Sandro Tonali, whose searching cross found Woltemade at the far post and he directed his header past David Raya into the bottom corner. It was a peach of a delivery, but Woltemade showed the physicality that his marker Gabriel Magalhães lacked. And for all of the Brazilian's complaints, his light nudge was within the parameters of fair physical contact. Their subsequent argument during the VAR check displayed Woltemade's fiery personality, as he refused to shake the Arsenal man's hand.
Buoyed by the crowd, he played neat one-twos with Anthony Gordon and Tonali, each receiving a triumphant cheer from the St James' Park faithful. His hold-up play was becoming a problem for Arsenal, with Cristhian Mosquera unable to nab the ball from his feet. His first-half display was flawless, so much so that Mikel Arteta brought on William Saliba during the interval to deal with him. Yet, 34 seconds in the second half, he had a golden chance to grab his second of the game but, on the stretch, clipped the crossbar. Fortunately, the offside flag was raised against Jacob Murphy. But the threat he posed was clearly giving Arsenal some discomfort at the back. His second half was quieter as Arsenal dominated possession, but his job was already done when the fourth official showed his number in the 67th minute. A loud chorus of cheers erupted from the Toon as they worshipped their new hero, forgetting all about the Swede who preceded him. Newcastle missed his presence up top and conceded two late goals, and Howe may be wondering if he should have kept him on rather than replace him with William Osula.
Market value analysis
There was initially some disagreement over the amount paid by the Magpies, but Transfermarkt understands Stuttgart were paid were €75million fee. He has now delivered not one but two opening goals, highlighting his importance to Newcastle this season after they sold Isak to Liverpool. Only time will tell how many more he can score for Howe's men towards the end of the season when they are scrapping away for a top-five spot and Champions League qualification. But given his current market value is €30m, and likely to rise in the coming weeks, Woltemade will surely be content with the start he has made on Tyneside - because one can assume Newcastle certainly are delighted with their investment.
