Magpies No 9 ready for his first Champions League game at St James’ Park against Barcelona
Nick Woltemade needed only one game to raise excitement among fans after his move to replace Alexander Isak at Newcastle United, scoring 29 minutes into his debut to seal a 1-0 win over Wolves at St James’ Park.
The 23-year-old, signed from Stuttgart late last month for a £70m fee, rose to meet Jacob Murphy’s cross midway through the second half to give Eddie Howe’s side their first Premier League victory of the season.
The header made him only the third German player to score on his Premier League debut, joining Jurgen Klinsmann and Ilkay Gundogan, but more importantly, it gave Newcastle fans relief that they have a ready replacement after losing Isak to Liverpool in the window.
“I worked a lot on it in the last weeks, the last months and the last year,” said Woltemade concerning the header. “With my height, I guess you have to. You can get more goals if you can have a good header.
“A header always feels good as a striker, especially if you work on it every week, so I was just happy when the ball was going in.
“I want to keep going and try my best every game, and if then the goals come, of course I’m really happy about it.”
The victory offered a much-needed lift for Newcastle after failing to win their first three games of the season, played without a striker. Attention now turns to a big European night, with Barcelona visiting Tyneside on Thursday. For Woltemade, the timing could hardly be better.
“It’s my first Champions League game at St James’ Park against Barcelona,” said Woltemade. “I guess it can’t be better, so I’m really looking forward to it.”
The German’s excellent start also drew plaudits from Newcastle legend Alan Shearer. The club’s record goalscorer described the finish as “an even better header” than the delivery.
Woltemade said: “Of course he’s the legend, he scored a lot of goals. And of course I’m happy about it.”
