PIF took a risk in signing Nick Woltemade for Newcastle United, but it is one that is paying off sooner than expected.
The Magpies spent the entire summer struggling to sign a striker, as they attempted to facilitate Alexander Isak’s departure to Liverpool.
After being snubbed by Joao Pedro, Hugo Ekitike, Benjamin Sesko and Liam Delap, Newcastle United bought Nick Woltemade for a club-record fee of £69million. It was far too much money for a largely unproven player who is totally different to the forward he was replacing.
Alas, Newcastle’s most expensive signing ever has adapted to life in black and white with ease. He has scored five goals for his new club already, while he is making those around him better.
PIF will be so happy with their investment, with a perfectly timed photo of Woltemade immediately before Newcastle’s win over Fulham on Saturday summing up his start to life on Tyneside.
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Newcastle United ‘invested in better’ with Nick Woltemade
Whenever the Magpies are in action at St James’ Park nowadays, there are always PIF adverts on the LED boards that surround the pitch.
The Newcastle United owners have got their branding on display, alongside their tagline ‘invested in better’.
That is a fitting message for someone like Nick Woltemade, which is why this photo of the 23-year-old before Saturday’s game against Fulham is so incredible.
As the Germany international gets set to face the Cottagers, the message ‘invested in better’ is seen in the background. It is a perfectly timed photo that sums up exactly how Toon fans will feel about the club signing Woltemade to replace Isak.
While the 6ft 6in forward is flying, Isak continues to struggle. He missed Liverpool’s defeat to Brentford with a groin problem, having scored just one goal for his new club since his £125million arrival.
Nick Woltemade impresses for Newcastle United even when he does not score
Newcastle United will feel they have invested in better when it comes to Woltemade. Most importantly, they have a striker who wants to play for the badge and represent the club. That is a contrast to the man who downed tools to force a move away.
The exciting thing about Woltemade is that he does not need to score to have an impact. He brings his teammates into the game and can create space without even touching the ball. That is something he did brilliantly against Fulham on Saturday, with Michael Carrick praising Woltemade for his performance.
Eddie Howe’s team are still getting used to Woltemade’s style of play, but the encouraging thing is that a lot of Newcastle’s best attacking moments this season have involved him. Their only goal against Barcelona and third goal against Benfica would not have been possible without Woltemade’s clever link-up play.
He is such a unique striker, and what is most exciting is that there is clearly so much more to come. You could argue that PIF handled the Isak situation poorly this summer, but to eventually get Woltemade as a replacement has proven to be a stroke of genius.
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