Newcastle United Claims Victory Against The Haters

When it eventually happened for Newcastle United, it was fast.

This summer, the club has stretched and strained to bring a striker to the club, but has consistently failed.

Moves for Benjamin Sesko, Liam Delap, Bryan Mbeumo, Joao Pedro, and Hugo Ekitike ended with the players joining other clubs.

This situation was made worse because star striker Alexander Isak refused to play for the Magpies in a desperate attempt to force through a move to Liverpool.

Strikerless for the start of the Premier League season, manager Eddie Howe has been forced to deploy wideman Anthony Gordon as a false 9.

He subsequently got a red card against Liverpool, leaving the team with no one.

So, it came as a massive relief for Newcastle United that it was able to seal a deal for Germany international Nick Woltemade in a matter of days.

The $93 million record signing is all the more impressive considering his main suitors all summer were Bayern Munich, which had three bids rejected.

Given how heavily the stench of rejection has hung in the air at St James’ Park, it was unsurprising that Woltemade’s first quotes were effusive about his only having eyes for North East England.

“I’m really happy to be at this amazing club,” he told the club’s official site, “from the first contact, I felt like the club really wanted me and had big plans for me.

“It’s a big step in my life to leave Germany but everybody has welcomed me so well and it already feels like family. I have a really good feeling from speaking to the head coach that this is the right place for me to find my best level.

“I know the stadium from watching games on television – it looks amazing and I know the atmosphere is crazy. I’m really excited to play and start scoring goals here.”

Even in boilerplate press release format, you could hear the relief dripping from Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe’s words.

He said: “We’re delighted to get Nick’s signing over the line so quickly. He fits the profile for exactly what we have been looking to add to our attacking options.

“He’s strong in a lot of areas – he has great technical ability and has proven himself to be a real threat in one of Europe’s top leagues – but he’s also still at an age where he has plenty of room to develop and grow here.

“Nick is a great character too and we’re really pleased to welcome him to the group.”

If Howe required more evidence of his need for a striker, which it’s unlikely he did, then he got it in the subsequent fixture against Leeds United.

A drab 0-0 draw, as Howe eluded to in his postgame comments, emphasised the need for attacking options.

“I thought there was a lot of commitment from the players,” he said. “This is a tough place to come to and I think we stood up to it really well.

Defensively, it was a very strong performance. I thought we looked organised, put our bodies on the line, blocked shots really well and stopped their main threats.

“We’re disappointed the other way that we didn’t cause them more problems. We had a few moments that you think could’ve led to more. We’re just in that moment where the goals aren’t flowing and that cost us today.

“Any team in the Premier League would miss their centre forward [Alexander Isak], so I think we’re in that bracket but we’re also missing Anthony Gordon and Joelinton too.

“I don’t think I can stand here and use that as an excuse. We still have very good players and can do more in that final third. It’s never been an issue for us, scoring goals, so we need to turn that round very quickly.”

The anticipation is that Isak will now be moved on and a deal for Brentford striker Yoan Wissa will resolve the shortage of strikers at St James’.

But it’s hard to feel like Newcastle United has had a good window, which is a shame.

For the first time in a couple of years, this was a summer when they had cash to spend and the opportunity to sell Champions League soccer to players.

But significantly, Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha rejected the chance to join a side in the continent’s elite competition and went to Manchester United instead.

Isak’s behaviour towards the club has only added to this sense that the Magpies are being treated as inferior despite the overwhelming evidence.

So it’s no surprise that Eddie Howe looks forward to the transfer window slamming shut.

“That will be huge for us,” he said after the Leeds United game. “We are looking forward to that clarity and to seeing what our squad looks like.

“The noise around us can’t have been easy for the players.”

It’s been a summer when the club has been repeatedly disrespected, but it won’t last.
Despite a set of poor results to start the campaign, the club is heading in the right direction and fans will look back on this period, one day, with a smile.