Newcastle rivals have already figured out Nick Woltemade move – but he can still be a huge threat

For Nick Woltemade, the past few months have been quite the roller coaster. The huge German appears to have handled everything with ease, from a breakthrough season with Stuttgart to this summer’s U21 EUROS to that club-record deal to Newcastle United.

The striker, who has defied his only 23 years by adjusting to a new club, nation, and league while still developing as a player, doesn’t seem to be easily upset.

We would have seen a little less of Woltemade on the field if Yoane Wissa had been injured, but he has undoubtedly responded to the occasion, having already scored six goals for Newcastle.

Despite his intimidating appearance, anyone who believed United had acquired a traditional battering ram was rudely awakened just minutes into his September debut against Wolves.

The Harrogate crowd’s response made it clear that Newcastle’s youthful forward is becoming impossible to ignore.

Alexander Isak is rejected by Sandro Tonali as the Newcastle United player’s emotions become apparent.

He has demonstrated a deft touch and vision that will be a huge asset to United if the rest of the team learns to play around him, but that doesn’t mean he’s not a threat in the air—half of his goals have come from headers.

If there is one criticism, it must be tempered by the fact that he has already surpassed everyone’s expectations: he drops too deep in an effort to win the ball when United needs someone to lead the line.

That might be “his game,” but he needs to figure out how to play where Newcastle most needs him. His deep-lying role can be disastrous when they’re playing at full capacity with guys flying forward, but he also has to shoulder the responsibility of providing an outlet and someone to hold the ball up when they’re under siege.

The 3-1 loss at Brentford last weekend was the first worrying indication.

On a day when maybe only Malick Thiaw received any credit, Woltemade wasn’t any worse than his teammates; rather, it was more than Brentford seemed to have worked him out.

The potential advantages of Woltemade dropping deep to connect with the midfield and generate space behind him to exploit have already been demonstrated this season.

Take a look at Anthony Gordon’s goal against Barcelona, where he made room for Jacob Murphy to run into before passing the ball to the England winger, who then pulled one back.

However, the Bees’ backline was aware of that at Gtech Community Stadium. Instead of pursuing him to the halfway line, they let Woltemade engage in a midfield altercation with players like Jordan Henderson. Therefore, any success he had did not result in weaknesses in the home defense.

Every head coach in the Premier League has seen and noted this, and Newcastle needs to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Naturally, having more attacking alternatives on the field would be beneficial, especially since Wissa should soon return. If they are given the opportunity to pitch together, that link-up is mouthwatering.

In the interim, what can United do? The one positive aspect of Sunday’s loss—possibly the only one—was when Woltemade got the ball in the area, which resulted in United’s goal. The German then laid it off to Harvey Barnes for a spectacular finish.

The roadway is two-way. Woltemade needs to drive defenses back and get into the box more, but United also needs to provide him with better service.

How many opportunities has he lost? The only ones that come to mind are a shot against Forest when a mis-hit clearing dropped into his path and an attempt that struck the post against Fulham.

He should be commended for his accomplishments thus far, even though he is currently on a steep learning curve at Newcastle. The next steps are difficult, but both Woltemade and Newcastle will benefit when they do it correctly.

editor of football material for Yorkshire Live, Hull Live, Leeds Live, Sunderland Live, Gazette Live, and Chronicle Live. He was born in the Northeast and has been a sports journalist since 1995. Since leaving the Gateshead Post in 1999, Stuart has worked for the Sunday Sun, Chronicle, and Journal.