Newcastle United striker Nick Woltemade has impressed his teammates since joining for a club-record £69million.
Sandro Tonali has hailed club-record arrival Nick Woltemade for his instant impact at Newcastle United.
Both players starred as the Magpies brushed aside Tottenham Hotspur to book a spot in the Carabao Cup quarter-final. While Tonali scooped the man-of-the-match award, Woltemade scored the second to give Spurs an uphill task.
The German took his tally to six for the season to continue his bright start to life at St James’ Park. His goalscoring exploits have silenced the noise surrounding Alexander Isak’s controversial exit.
‘So good’ - Sandro Tonali
Tonali raved about Woltemade at the full-time whistle while collecting his post-match award. He told ITV: “I think he is so good. For him, it is a little bit easy to play and score goals with his head. But he’s a very good player.
“He runs all the 90 minutes, every time. He plays with the midfielders and defenders. He is the first defender and the first striker, it is a pleasure to play with Nick. I am happy for him and for the team.”
Alan Pardew sets Nick Woltemade target
Speaking to talkSPORT, former Newcastle manager Pardew tipped the £69million man to reach the 20-goal mark this season. He said: “When I looked at that fixture, obviously I know Newcastle fans. I know the stadium very, very well. They're the holders of the competition. I knew that was going to be a tough call (for Tottenham) going there.
“I fancied Newcastle to win that and it didn't disappoint me. I wish I could have paid 70 million for a striker. I love him and obviously up at Newcastle they love him. He's bought into the crowd and the environment. He's settled in lovely and he scored goals.
“That penalty he took two weeks ago where he just walked up and smashed it in the top corner just shows the confidence the boy has. I think he'll start for Germany at the World Cup.
“He'll have that big a season at Newcastle. Newcastle love crosses. Eddie has always loved crosses. He's gonna have a nice supply of ammunition to get goals and I think he will. I think he'll end up with 20 goals.”
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Eddie Howe on Nick Woltemade
Eddie Howe told reporters that Woltemade’s positive attitude has contributed to his smooth transition on Tyneside. He said: “Firstly, his attitude… he's very open to new ideas, very open to delivering what we need him to do, so he’s absorbed all the information we’ve given him.
“He’s been very good tactically, I have to say. That has enabled us to play in the way we want to, and once you get that framework, then you can develop his skills, and he’s got unique ones.
“When you’ve got someone that good technically, you want them to get the ball at their feet in attacking areas, and I think that’s the key thing. We don’t want to take him too far away from the goal, by dropping him too deep, but we want him to showcase his creative talents at the same time, so we’re still figuring out the best ways to use him, but hopefully, we’re on the right path.”
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