Newcastle United suffered the ultimate loss over the summer when Alexander Isak left for Liverpool, but it’s not been the disaster they thought it would be.
The Isak saga dominated Newcastle’s summer transfer window, but the signings of Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade went a long way towards fixing that particular issue.
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VAR checked the referee’s call of goal – and established that Wissa was in an offside position in the build-up and recommended that the goal was disallowed. pic.twitter.com/YpXBtuXruP
— Premier League Match Centre (@PLMatchCentre) January 4, 2026
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Isak himself has tried to put that situation behind him now and doesn’t want to talk about it. However, it’s still a topic that provokes intense debate regularly.
Now, Jamie Carragher has spoken openly about the whole scenario and insists Liverpool have actually come out worse from the transfer saga.
Jamie Carragher looks on during Manchester City v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
What Jamie Carragher said about Newcastle United strikeforce
Discussing Isak and Newcastle on Sky Sports this weekend, Carragher suggested Newcastle have something that not many other clubs do: two strikers who can play together.
He said: “With Woltemade, every manager has this problem, is how to get two strikers on the pitch. But he actually looks more like a number 10 in a way. So I think the plan there, and I’m with Eddie Howe all the way here, but he could play both Woltemade in a 10 position and Wissa higher up the pitch.
“It’s not like the Liverpool situation where Isak and Hugo Ekitike are both strikers who like to play on the last line. Going forward it’s not really working for Newcastle with the midfield three and the lone attacker. Can he get those two on the pitch together?”
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Given the way Howe speaks about Wissa, it certainly sounds like he could complement Woltemade really well. Now, we just need to see the Newcastle manager taking that risk and starting the pair together.
Never in doubt 😅 How many more goals will Yoane Wissa score this season?!
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Woltemade and Wissa should be a match made in heaven
We all know how often a little-and-large strike partnership works, and Woltemade and Wissa are the epitome of that, at least on paper.
Woltemade being so big and physical allows him to hold up the ball effectively and allows other players to run beyond him and link up. When he plays on his own, he simply cannot impact the game enough because he looks so isolated.
Wissa tends to fare a little better on his own as he is able to press relentlessly and move around the attacking third a lot more. He’s more capable of creating his own chances, but those opportunities would multiply if he had Woltemade with him.
Fans are desperate to see Woltemade and Wissa together. Surely it’s only a matter of time before Howe sees what we all see.
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