“Genuine interest” – Eddie Howe reveals moment he wanted to sign £69m Nick Woltemade

New Newcastle United signing Nick Woltemade had a dream debut on Saturday, scoring a bullet header to secure a 1-0 win over Wolvees.

The German striker was signed out of the blue, arriving after drawn out sagas involving Benjamin Sesko and Hugo Ekitike ended in both going elsewhere.

Most of the footballing world seemed to acknowledge that the former Stuttgart striker was Bayern Munich-bound, but Newcastle swooped in to steal his signature after talks broke down, striking a club record deal worth £69m.

In a new interview, Eddie Howe has now revealed exactly when his admiration for the 6ft 6″ German began:

“It would’ve been last season, watching quite a bit of German football. I enjoy watching as much football as I can, and after seeing him be outstanding at the Under-21 tournament, it became a genuine interest in the player.”

“He’s an unusual player and very distinctive. The more you watch him, the more you realise how different he is to the stereotypical size that he brings.

“He’s very, very creative, and we saw flashes of that today with little touches and passes.”

“They can really make a difference for us and open up a stubborn defensive line. We’ve now got a lot of work to do with him physically to perform consistently in the Premier League.”

Woltemade’s rise to the top has been rapid over the last 12 months, seeing him break into the Stuttgart side, score goals for fun over the second half of the 2024/25 season, help them lift the German cup before ending the U21 Euros as his countries top scorer, managing six goals and three assists in five games.

After news broke that fellow striker signing Yoane Wissa will be out for the next month with a knee injury, Woltemade looks like he’s in for a baptism of fire, none more ferocious than the anticipated battle against Hansi Flick’s Barcelona this coming Thursday.