Things couldn’t have gone much better for Nick Woltemade in his first game for Newcastle United. Against Wolverhampton Wanderers, the national team player became only the third German to score a goal on his Premier League debut, leading his team to their first win of the season.
Nick Woltemade was worth €85 million to Newcastle United, which brought VfB Stuttgart a more than respectable sum just a few days before the transfer window closed. But the striker, who was under pressure to deliver as Alexander Isak’s successor due to the high transfer fee, had to wait for his debut for his new club. Shortly after the transfer, he returned home for two international matches after just a few days in England.
Woltemade, like many of his teammates, did not impress in the national team jersey, but the fact that he was booed when he was substituted in Cologne against Northern Ireland (3-1) was only partially understandable to neutral observers. Rather, it seemed as if the fans had chosen the 23-year-old as a scapegoat for the German team’s performance.
Howe: “He scored his goal brilliantly”
So it was almost a relief for Woltemade when Newcastle coach Eddie Howe, due to the depleted offensive line-up in the game against Wolverhampton Wanderers, put him directly into the starting line-up as indicated, allowing him to present himself to a completely different audience.
“I’d been here for four days, so everything was new to me. The coach made me feel good,“ Woltemade confirmed to the BBC. ”I felt comfortable on the pitch and knew what I had to do.”
The striker demonstrated this in the 29th minute when he headed in a fine cross from Jacob Murphy to give his side the lead. The provider told him “that he would always cross the ball,” Woltemade revealed. “I was prepared for that.” Although heading is not considered Woltemade’s greatest strength, the 1.98-meter-tall striker won three out of four aerial duels, underlining that this could also be a factor for Newcastle this season.
“He scored a brilliant goal,” Howe praised his new attacking player, even though at 20 he had the fewest touches of the ball of any player in the Magpies’ ranks. “He was very strong, I was very happy with him. Tactically, he understood what we wanted,” the coach continued.
However, because Woltemade immediately felt the robust pace of the Premier League (“It was pretty tough, I had cramps”), his game was over after just over an hour. So he had to watch from the bench as his new teammates held on to their narrow lead to secure their first win of the season.
Only the third German to score on his debut
“The day couldn’t have been better,” said Woltemade. “I was happy and looked at everyone’s faces. It’s important for a striker to score a goal.” He is only the third German to do so after Jürgen Klinsmann (1994 for Tottenham Hotspur) and Ilkay Gündogan (2016 for Manchester City) on their Premier League debuts.
“It’s exactly the right place for me at the moment. Everyone was really looking forward to my debut. I’m glad I was able to make them happy,” Woltemade said, despite his minor injuries. Now he wants to “adapt to this league even more, which is really difficult.”
But first, Woltemade and Co. will continue their international campaign in the Champions League. On Thursday, FC Barcelona will be guests at St. James’ Park—where the match winner, who was dropped from VfB’s Champions League squad last season, would certainly have no objection to scoring another debut goal.