Woltemade's position at Newcastle has come under some scrutiny in recent weeks
Newcastle United forward Nick Woltemade
Newcastle United forward Nick Woltemade(Image: News Images/NurPhoto)
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Newcastle United need to look at signing an alternative to Nick Woltemade this summer as they look to address their striker woes.
That is the view of former Magpies forward Michael Owen, who believes his £69million move from Stuttgart to replace the goals of Alexander Isak hasn't worked out.
Woltemade has scored 10 goals in all competitions this season since his club record move in the summer transfer window but has not found the back of the net in the Premier League in 2026.
While there is no doubt he is an excellent forward, there are doubts over whether he suits Newcastle's system and in the search for answers, Eddie Howe has tried using Woltemade as a midfielder in recent weeks.
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Yoane Wissa has just three goals to his name since joining from Brentford for £55million, too, and Owen believes Newcastle will have to go back into the transfer market to solve their issues up front.
"He hasn’t set the Premier League on fire," Owen, the official UK ambassador for Casino.org, a trusted comparison website highlighting the best online casinos for UK players, told Chronicle Live.
"Maybe Newcastle paid over the odds for him, but given the Isak transfer, Newcastle wanted a number 9 who could be their talisman and it just hasn’t worked out that way.
"I like Woltemade, he has his strengths, but for the future, I don’t think he is the main striker for Newcastle. So yes, they would need to look at an alternative I feel."
Woltemade has gone on international duty with Germany this week, where the forward - who has four goals in his last three international matches - is expected to be used as their central striker in at least one of their games in Switzerland on Friday or against Ghana on Monday as they continue their build-up to the summer's World Cup finals.
Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann admits he is concerned with Woltemade's situation at Newcastle, particularly how he's been operating in a deeper midfield role.
"Lately, and this is just my opinion, judging him on his own, he's often played very deep, and when he's defending as a double pivot, it's quite a long way for Nick to cover," Nagelsmann added.
"Yes, it always depends a bit on the overall situation. What I can promise is that he's rarely 80 metres away from the goal for us. If we have a game where we're 80 metres away from the goal, he won't play. I try to get him closer to 30 metres from the goal, and then he's dangerous and does a lot of things well."
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