Woltemade Shows There Is Life After Isak But Newcastle Suffer Wissa Blow

Twenty-nine minutes. That's each Nick Woltemade needed.

Not only to unfastened his relationship for Newcastle United – but to beryllium serenaded pinch his ain chant aft scoring connected his debut against Wolves.

Woltemade went connected to person a opinionated ovation aft nan grounds signing came disconnected midway done nan 2nd half of his side's 1-0 win.

His publication was surely timely arsenic it was revealed station lucifer that chap caller striker signing Yoane Wissa is apt to beryllium retired until aft nan adjacent world break successful October.

It is singular to deliberation Woltemade only had a fistful of training sessions pinch his caller team-mates earlier his first appearance.

You would not needfully person known it arsenic he was pushed successful beforehand of nan Gallowgate End by Joelinton to return nan acclaim of nan crowd aft nan game.

"I was conscionable present for 4 days now, truthful everything was caller for me," he told BBC Final Score. "I was putting that spot distant and I was focusing connected myself today.

"I deliberation nan coach already gave maine specified a bully feeling, truthful I felt bully connected nan pitch. I knew what to do and I conjecture you saw coming everybody knew what they person to do."

How Newcastle needed personification to put nan shot successful nan backmost of nan net.

Howe's broadside had 34 shots successful nan opening 3 games of nan season, but only had 2 goals to show for it aft firing blanks against Aston Villa and Leeds United.

The Alexander Isak saga formed a protector complete nan nine aft nan Swede went connected onslaught earlier completing his move to Liverpool.

Isak had already arsenic bully arsenic near nan building - training distant from nan remainder of his team-mates - but Saturday marked nan first crippled of this caller era pursuing his £125m move to Anfield.

It was a small ironic, then, that location were 1 aliases 2 parallels betwixt Woltemade's debut and Isak's first outing for nan nine successful 2022.

Just arsenic Isak was thrown in, astatine a clip erstwhile Callum Wilson was sidelined, Woltemade was besides handed his debut from nan disconnected aft chap caller presence Wissa suffered a knee injury.

Isak did not request agelong to make an effect aft opening nan scoring against Liverpool – of each teams – successful nan first half.

And Woltemade required little than half an hr to make his mark.

Woltemade whitethorn person 27 connected nan backmost of his shirt, a motion to his mother's birthday, but nan caller presence opened his relationship pinch a classical number nine's goal.

Jacob Murphy scooped a transverse into nan container and Woltemade peeled distant from Wolves defender Emmanuel Agbadou to powerfulness a header past Sam Johnstone.

Suddenly a caller chant was calved arsenic "Woltemade, Woltemade, ole, ole, ole" rang astir a raucous St James'.

Bullet headers were not needfully really Woltemade made his name, though.

He whitethorn beryllium 6ft 6in tall, but nan German is not your emblematic target man and only scored a azygous header for Stuttgart successful nan Bundesliga past season.

"He's an different player," Howe said. "He's very distinctive. I deliberation nan much you watch him, nan much you realise really different he is to nan stereotypical size that he brings.

"[He's] very creative. We saw flashes of that today, small touches and passes that tin really make a quality and unfastened up a stubborn protect line."

Digging deeper, this was an day erstwhile Woltemade completed 89% of his passes.

One clever dink sent Harvey Barnes successful down nan near but nan guardant was flagged offside earlier Murphy put nan shot successful nan net.

Match of nan Day pundit Shay Given, who made 462 appearances for nan club, was among those watching on, saying he was "interested to spot nan positions he takes up".

"There was a batch of talk earlier nan crippled that he's much a number 10 than a nine," he said. "But I'm judge Eddie Howe and his unit will beryllium saying 'Yeah, he's a bully link-up subordinate but pinch his size, you person to get nan shot to him successful nan box'."

Interestingly, nary of Newcastle's starters had less touches than Woltemade (20), but he made his beingness count wherever it mattered most.

Woltemade had 5 touches wrong Wolves' box. One of them ended up winning nan crippled for Newcastle.

Woltemade was surely successful nan correct spot astatine nan correct time.

The caller presence whitethorn for illustration to nexus play, but Howe was acutely alert that "we won't want him to get himself retired of goalscoring areas".

And nan Newcastle caput coach was nan first to recognise that they still person "work to do pinch him".

Though Woltemade won 3 of his 4 aerial duels, physically he has "a batch to amended to get utilized to this level" Howe said.

But nan will is location to do so.

Whereas Newcastle saw Hugo Ekitike, Benjamin Sesko and Joao Pedro opt to move elsewhere, Woltemade was wished to subordinate nan nine from Stuttgart.

Woltemade did not precisely person overmuch clip to drawback his breath, aft jetting disconnected for world duty, but he made it clear he "wanted to thief nan squad and bring his qualities to nan group".

As good arsenic settling connected nan field, Woltemade has quickly taken to life disconnected it, too.

He whitethorn person had a shot headdress connected but specified is his size, nan caller presence has been spotted successful nan supermarket by supporters and taking a locomotion down nan Quayside.

Rather than being overwhelmed by nan passion of nan club's support, though, Woltemade has rightly embraced it.

"It felt amazing," he said. "Just each nan fans, everybody was happy, I was happy. Of course, correct now if you've won nan crippled that's much important also. I'm very happy astir it."