Woltemade’s debut display contained plenty of glimpses of what we have all been told the 23-year-old is adept at. There were neat lay-offs, slick cushioned touches and intelligent drifts into pockets of space that confused the Wolves defence.
Crucially, though, the £69m summer arrival from Stuttgart also showcased something his game was not supposed to be built around. When Jacob Murphy hung a 29th-minute cross towards the back post, it was inviting an old-fashioned target-man to powerfully head home. Woltemade, we have repeatedly been warned, is not such a player, despite his six-foot-six frame. Except, on this occasion, he was, as he barged aside Emmanuel Agbadou and channelled his inner Alan Shearer and Les Ferdinand to claim his first Newcastle goal.
A classic centre-forward’s goal rather than the neat, intricate link-up play that was supposed to be Woltemade’s forte? “I’ll take loads more classics like that,” said a beaming Eddie Howe.
“You see a lot of centre-forwards who aren’t in the box these days, but I’m delighted that Nick is in there. One of the challenges that he will face, because he’s good technically and we want to use his technical skills, is that we don’t want him to get himself out of goalscoring areas. He wasn’t, and that’s what he’s paid to do.”
One swallow does not make a summer, and one headed goal does not mean Howe will be ripping up his tactical template and instructing Newcastle’s wide players to start blindly tossing balls into the box.
But with Yoane Wissa facing an injury lay-off of around six weeks, the Magpies desperately needed their record signing to hit the ground running. The longer he went without scoring, the more Isak would have remained a malevolent presence hovering in the background. As it was, the Swede was easily forgotten at the weekend, not mentioned once by the St James’ Park crowd or Howe in his post-match press conference.
Instead, Woltemade was the centre of attention, all tousled hair, wispy moustache and self-assured smile. For lots of different reasons, he immediately stands out. Howe’s challenge, now, is to mould him into the kind of player Newcastle need to spearhead their two-pronged assault on both the domestic competitions and Europe.
“He’s an unusual player and he’s very distinctive,” said the Magpies boss. “It would have been last season when I really saw him first, watching quite a bit of German football. I enjoy watching as much football as I can, and then of course in the Under-21 tournament, he was outstanding in that.
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“Then it became a genuine interest in the player. The more you watch him, the more you realise how different he is to the stereotypical size that he brings. He’s very, very creative, and we saw flashes of that with little touches and passes that can really make a difference and open up a stubborn defensive line.
“We’ve got work to do with him. Definitely, physically, he’s got a lot to do to get used to this level. That was a quick game and a physical game, but every game in the Premier League is so physical that you have to be ready to do it on a consistent basis, time and again, every three or four days this year for us.”
He will benefit from the quality of those around him. Newcastle weren’t perfect at the weekend, but they were far too good for a Wolves side who are still to pick up a point this season, with patches of their performance providing a welcome and timely reminder of the talent that remains on Tyneside despite this summer’s upheaval.
Sandro Tonali was superb, purring at the heart of midfield as he calmly dictated everything that was going on around him despite much of the game being surprisingly helter-skelter and chaotic.
Murphy was another standout performer, justifying his selection ahead of summer signing Anthony Elanga as he played with thrust and purpose. His cross for Woltemade’s goal was a cracker.
A word too for Nick Pope, whose place is under threat from another summer arrival, Aaron Ramsdale, but whose two diving saves in the opening minute ultimately proved crucial to Newcastle’s victory.
“We just needed to win,” admitted Howe, who will now turn his thoughts to Thursday’s glamour Champions League opener against Barcelona. “It was a nervy end. At 1-0 it was always going to be, but I’m just really pleased we got that win, that’s a massive moment in our season.”