Newcastle United have been linked with a number of big-money strikers this summer, and Nick Woltemade is actually through the door at St. James’ Park.
Woltemade, 23, concluded his medical with the Magpies and was unveiled on Saturday by the club. The transfer is a reported club record signing for an estimated $93 million move.
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The Stuttgart star has recently come into the Germany national team and stands 6-foot-6 with foot skills of a typically-smaller winger.
The move is sure to trigger reinvigorated talk of Alexander Isak leaving for Liverpool, as the Swedish striker is still waiting for an exit.
Nick Woltemade to Newcastle United: What will he bring?
Born on Valentine’s Day, Woltemade’s rise has been romantic over the past few seasons.
Woltemade was a big prospect for Werder Bremen, filling the score sheet at youth levels, but burst out with 17 goals and 10 assists during a 2022-23 loan move to third-tier Elversberg.
That earned him a full Bundesliga season with Bremen in 2023-24, where he scored twice before moving to Stuttgart last season. Woltemade bagged 17 goals and three assists across all competitions, memorably scoring in all five of his appearances in Stuttgart’s German Cup triumph.
That led to this summer’s senior breakthrough to the national team set-up, as he earned his first two caps with 105 minutes of UEFA Nations League play for Germany in June, then caught fire in driving Germany’s U-21 team to the U21 EURO final.
Woltemade scored six times with three assists in four matches before being blanked in the extra-time final loss to England.
What makes him special is that he’s crafty and agile considering his giant stature, not unlike previous Newcastle targets Joao Pedro and Hugo Ekitike.
Woltemade’s 4.28 shot-creating actions per 90 minutes put him in the 96th percentile of players in Europe’s top-five leagues, and his 8.51 touches in the attacking penalty area per 90 is in the 99th percentile. He’s also a willing an able presser and defender.
He’s still a bit green and will still have to prove himself in the Premier League, but everything else promises eventual production at St. James’ Park.
