Newcastle United sold Alexander Isak to Liverpool on transfer deadline day and are now looking to Nick Woltemade for goals.
Alexander Isak’s deadline day move to Liverpool brought an end to the transfer saga of the summer.
Newcastle United will be glad to see the back of the Isak drama and will now move forward with new strikers of their own.
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Yoane Wissa joined the Magpies from Brentford, but only after German international forward Nick Woltemade arrived from Stuttgart.
Nicolas Jackson during Chelsea's Premier League match against Bournemouth.
Photo by Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Paul Merson on Newcastle United overlooking Nicolas Jackson
Woltemade caught the eye for Stuttgart last season, but he only has one campaign of top-flight success under his belt.
Newcastle were interested in other strikers as well, with Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson one forward on their radar.
TBR Football noted that Newcastle held talks to sign Jackson from Chelsea after the Blues made him available.
Jackson instead joined Bayern Munich, in a deal which could reach £70million with a loan fee and a potential permanent deal.
Paul Merson now believes Newcastle have missed a trick by not signing the Senegal forward.
Speaking to Sportskeeda, Merson suggested that Chelsea should have kept hold of Jackson, especially after Liam Delap’s injury.
Merson then admitted his surprise that Newcastle didn’t sign Jackson, believing that he would have made sense as a direct replacement for Alexander Isak – and would have been a better fit than Woltemade.
“The Nicolas Jackson situation at Chelsea was very interesting,” said Merson. “He was on his way to Bayern Munich, and all of a sudden, Liam Delap gets injured. They initially wanted to cancel Jackson’s loan, but later decided to let him join Bayern, possibly with one eye on balancing the books as well. If I were Chelsea, I would have kept him. I don’t think he’s a bad player.
“I’m surprised Newcastle did not sign Jackson, though. He fits the bill more than Nick Woltemade in the sense that he can be direct and make good runs like Alexander Isak,” he added.
Newcastle United are mixing potential with Premier League experience
Jackson bagged 30 goals in 81 games for Chelsea, and while he was a little wasteful at times, he certainly has the potential to be a star.
The 24-year-old now heads to Germany as competition for Harry Kane at Bayern, while Newcastle move in a different direction with Woltemade and Wissa.
Woltemade is a huge presence at 6ft 6in tall, and may take some time to adjust to life in the Premier League, given his limited Bundesliga experience.
Newcastle have also added Premier League experience around Woltemade by signing Wissa, who excelled for Brentford.
Wissa’s arrival means there isn’t immediate pressure on Woltemade to replicate Isak’s goalscoring brilliance early into his Newcastle career.
Wissa has proven himself in the Premier League and can shoulder a lot of the goalscoring load while Woltemade settles in.
It’s been a while since we have seen a true ‘little and large’ partnership in a Premier League attack, but Woltemade and Wissa may just represent that dynamic for Newcastle this season.