Nick Woltemade is officially a Newcastle United player after completing a record transfer and his first decision on Tyneside will go down well with Yoane Wissa.
Newcastle United have finally got their hands on a striker after struggling all summer long, as they have all but completed the shock signing of Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart.
Though the deal has not yet been officially announced, the giant German has been spotted at St. James’ Park on Friday.
Woltemade will become Newcastle’s record signing when he completes his £65m, rising to £69m, switch to Tyneside, overtaking Alexander Isak’s £63m move from Real Sociedad in 2022.
Eddie Howe has been desperate to add a striker to his ranks all summer, even before Isak made his desire to leave for Liverpool clear.
Newcastle have missed out on stars like Hugo Ekitike, Joao Pedro and Matheus Cunha, but have now pulled off a coup in recruiting the highly rated Woltemade ahead of Bayern Munich.
Now Woltemade has made his first decision by choosing his Newcastle squad number.
Nick Woltemade celebrating after a goal in the DFB Pokal final for VfB Stuttgart.
Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images
Nick Woltemade chooses obvious Newcastle United shirt number
In what has come as quite a surprise, Woltemade has chosen the No.27 shirt at Newcastle, as Keith Downie reported on X, formerly Twitter, ahead of the signing being confirmed.
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The news comes as a shock, as many had predicted Newcastle’s brand-new striker would claim the available No.9 shirt.
The famous jersey has been tantalisingly up for grabs this summer following Callum Wilson’s release but remains unclaimed by new signings Anthony Elanga, Jacob Ramsey and Woltemade.
Worn by legends like Alan Shearer, Les Ferdinand and Jackie Milburn, the No.9 is the most prestigious shirt a player can have at Newcastle.
Yet, Woltemade has instead opted to choose No.27, leaving No.9 free for another striker signing to take the shirt.
Nick Woltemade taking the No.27 shirt will leave Yoane Wissa buzzing
Yoane Wissa may certainly be buzzing about the news.
Newcastle have been targeting Brentford’s Wissa all summer, with the striker taking up his own Isak-esque protest and refusing to play for his club to try and force through a move.
However, Brentford are refusing to sell after losing so many key players already this summer and Newcastle are yet to bid high enough to change their mind.
The Toon are still looking to sign another striker, though, and Wissa is desperate to sign for Newcastle.
It was reported by Downie earlier this month that Wissa has his ‘eyes set’ on the No. 9 shirt.
With Woltemade opting for No.27, Wissa still has a chance of claiming his dream shirt number.
It’s still possible that Wissa will get his move as Newcastle still want another striker, with him and Jorgen Strand Larsen on the short list.
If one of them is signed, that could open the door for Isak to finally join Liverpool, but only if their £150m demands are met.