John Gibson gives his take on the latest transfer development at Newcastke
Newcastle United's Nick Woltemade
Newcastle United's Nick Woltemade
The game with Leeds United was so predictable but, hey, the cavalry is coming over the brow of the hill.
When your only striker is sitting in the stand looking on having just responded to a universal cry for help and a guy on £140,00 a week is on strike sitting sulking on the settee at home then a second successive 0-0 away draw is hardly the surprise result of the weekend.
Still, better days lie ahead for Newcastle that's for sure. Welcome Nick. Thanks Yasir. Good riddance Isak. We are United.
Bye, bye to a guy who could have been a Geordie legend for life but instead is as welcome as a bad smell. Isak is yesterday. Woltemade is today and tomorrow. And to Newcastle's chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan we are grateful he has before it was too late heeded the desperate plea of myself in last week's column and literally thousands of Geordies after flying in for the Liverpool match and seeing first hand the crying need for help as well as hearing the stony indifference of Isak delivered within his own home. There was a desperate requirement for hands-on involvement not long distance decision making.
As Eddie Howe had said, we only want players who want to play for NUFC and as we at last got on the front foot in the transfer market Woltemade was won over the way countless of potential superstars were by Kevin Keegan during the building of the Entertainers.
While German giants Bayern Munich dithered in their own aura of grandeur and invincibility Newcastle struck. What a nice change.
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Inside Bayern the reaction was one of shock. They submitted three separate bids to Stuttgart for Woltemade but each one was rejected. Instead of matching the demand, the board chose to step back, convinced that waiting until next summer would eventually bring success. Instead Woltemade rejected Bayern's empty promises choosing the clarity, financial strength, and decisiveness of Newcastle.
It is easy to make a comparison between Woltemade and Isak in terms of style. Like the Swede, Woltemade is a tall, skinny yet physically imposing forward with a deft touch for a big man and eye-catching dribbling skills. He is not only fast, but excellent in one-on-one situations and in tight areas. A gifted performer and at only 23 is young enough to further learn and blossom under Howe just as Isak did.
Not an orthodox centre-forward but more a No.10 who likes to drop deep, United will continue to battle right up to the wire to get someone else in as well. Bayern wanted Woltemade to play with Harry Kane not replace him.
As for Isak I can stomach him no longer. Wonderfully talented, without question, but with ethics including a total lack of loyalty and decency which doesn't fit into a band of brothers. Please just go and shut the door on your way out. There won't be a tear of sadness in the eye. Your goals were good but your attitude stinks.
Be aware Liverpool, in two year's time Isak will do the same to you as he has to us should a club he considers superior come along rattling a bag of gold.
I prefer now to look on the positive side of his long goodbye. If Woltemade can step up to the plate then Isak's sale at around £130m will significantly help ease the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules regarding future transfer windows. In other words sell to buy, take a step backwards to go forward.
Elland Road was the poorest of United's three performances this season. The toll is telling and the obvious lack of a cutting edge up top demoralising to other players. What is annoying is that 10-man Aston Villa were there for the taking and Leeds are poor by PL standards so we have squandered four points. And as for champions Liverpool they got extremely lucky at SJP.
Will Osula, thrust into the spotlight because of a lack of other candidates and urged on by Geordies desperate to believe in the best, was as predictable as the scoreline. Without wishing to be harsh and hurtful he is not streetwise or football intelligent so enthusiasm and pace are his only weapons at this level. What's more Osula is no longer a bairn at 22 and unlike virtually every other signing during Howe's reign has improved little during a year's stay. I hope he comes good but I am dying to see Woltemade who is only a year older but much wiser.
We need to get Jacob Ramsey fit during the international break, Joelinton too, and hope Anthony Elanga can gain some consistency to go with his burning pace during his time with Sweden. He can do better than he has shown so far. At least Anthony Gordon will get time on the grass with England to keep him ticking over during his domestic ban.
However let us finish with every Geordie glass half full rather than half empty. A new top striker has been brought in at a club record fee, United have a good start at home to Bradford City in defence of the Carabao Cup, and the Champions League has thrown up eight fascinating fixtures book ended by Barcelona at home and holders Paris Saint-Germain away.
When the PL returns United will play at home to Wolves who are struggling badly having lost all three of their games while conceding six goals.
Thankfully there is much to look forward to after all the trauma and tension.