Eddie Howe[1] has revealed there was ‘a lot of love’ for Nick Woltemade in the Newcastle dressing-room after the £69million club-record signing secured their first win of the season against Wolves[2].
The German headed the game’s only goal in the 30th minute and left to a standing ovation after the hour mark.
Howe was thrilled with his big-money debutant, especially given his side’s struggle in front of goal in the absence of Alexander Isak, who refused to play in the opening three games before forcing his deadline-day move to Liverpool[3].
‘We needed to win today,’ said the Newcastle boss. ‘There was a lot of love for Nick (after the game) and a lot of pats on the back. The group are really good at doing that, when someone does well.
‘It was a great moment for Nick. I was very pleased with how he played. You saw his technical qualities and his intelligence. But most importantly for a striker, when the ball comes into the box, you need to be there – and he was. It was a great finish. I’m really pleased for him personally because that just settles him down and relaxes him. He’s a very humble guy, he wants to do well and he’s delighted to be here. I think it’s a great start.’
Woltemade, 23, had been linked with a move to Bayern Munich[4] all summer, and his transfer to Newcastle was completed in only a few days after the initial point of contact.
Newcastle’s new front man Nick Woltemade scored the winner on his debut against Wolves
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Eddie Howe admitted there was a ‘lot of love’ for the new signing in the Toon dressing room
The Germany forward received a standing ovation as he was substituted in the second half
Woltemade’s early goal for Newcastle will have delighted fans after Alexander Isak’s controversial exit to Liverpool for a British record transfer fee of £125million on deadline day
And the match-winner said: ‘When the talks started, I felt really welcome straight away and had nice conversations with the coach. I am just really happy to be here.
‘I think the coach already gave me such a good feeling, so I felt good on the pitch. I knew what to do and I guess you saw today everybody knew what they have to do. This win was really important.
‘The Premier League is quite hard, I had to go out because I had cramps. But it was amazing, the atmosphere. The team played really good balls, they involved me a lot. I think we did quite good. It was a hard game because we didn’t win a game in the league before and it was really important that we won, especially at home.’
Howe says he first noticed Woltemade in the Bundesliga last season, as he added: ‘He’s an unusual player and he’s very distinctive. It would have been last season when I really saw him, watching quite a bit of German football, and then of course in the Under-21 tournament, he was outstanding in that. Then it became a genuine interest in the player.
‘The more you watch him, the more you realise how different he is to the stereotypical size that he brings. He’s very, very creative, and we saw flashes of that with little touches and passes that can really make a difference and open up a stubborn defensive line. We’ve got work to do with him. Definitely, physically, he’s got a lot to do to get used to this level.’
References
- ^ Eddie Howe (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Wolves (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Liverpool (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Bayern Munich (www.dailymail.co.uk)