Nick Woltemade is the latest overseas star to join the wacky world of Newcastle United.
A two-week hiatus since deadline day was supposed to calm the storm. The smoke caused in the aftermath Alexander Isak’s explosive exit had just about subsided, with Newcastle United out of sight and mind during the international break.
But in true Toon fashion, another grenade exploded as Eddie Howe confirmed injuries to Yoane Wissa and Jacob Ramsey. You just could not make it up. Even the most atheistic Newcastle fan must have been wondering whether someone upstairs was cursing their luck.
This was supposed to be when the campaign kick-started. The Isak saga handicapped the Magpies, who have been of greater value than their two points from nine suggest.
With the sulking Swede in the rear-view mirror, the dark cloud migrated to Merseyside and positivity was the only song on the hymn sheet around St James’ Park. But with a crash, bang and a wallop, a double injury blow brought a sense of reality.
Wissa, in particular, is a blow. There can be no other way to dress this up. He is the experienced Premier League operator drafted in to shoulder the burden of his fellow newcomer’s price tag.
Welcome to the circus act, Nick Woltemade - your chance to become the ringmaster starts now. Wolverhampton Wanderers - who sit bottom and pointless after three games - provides the German a strong opportunity to make an impression.
A baying Tyneside crowd is a sink-or-swim environment for the youngster, just as it was for the man he replaced a fortnight ago. Supporters on social media eagerly tuned into Germany’s recent double-header against Slovakia and Northern Ireland, hoping to see a glimpse of their £69million man’s talents.
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Ultimately, they were disappointed, but fans should reserve their Woltemade judgement until he dons the black-and-white stripes. Eddie Howe has only sprinkled a sample of his magic dust on the 23-year-old given his lack of time at the training ground.
In Howe, Woltemade has the manager who can weaponise that raw ability into world-class talent. The former Stuttgart man should be the new addition that excites Newcastle the most.
While not proven in English football, the upside is that giving Woltemade a sense of mystique, an enigma that can frighten Premier League defences. Wolves is his first chance to get the show in order - he might just be the magician the Magpies are desperately lacking to reinstate the feel-good factor.
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