With just over an hour played in the black and white stripes, and a huge goal to his name in that time, Nick Woltemade is already endearing himself to Newcastle United fans.
The German international, who became our record signing last month with his move from Stuttgart, has arrived with big shoes to fill following Alexander Isak’s departure on deadline day.
And such a monumental move at only 22-years-old would of course be a daunting move for any player at this stage of their career.
But the striker has credited Eddie Howe and his new teammates for the support they’ve shown him so far, with the gaffer going to great lengths to make sure Woltemade settles in quickly.
Woltemade on Howe helping him settle in at Newcastle
Speaking to German outlet BILD, Woltemade commented on how the manager is going to great lengths to making sure his star signing experiences no added pressure now he’s arrived on Tyneside.
It’s everything we’ve come to expect from Howe, who as we know is wholly committed to making sure his players all feel comfortable and that there is a thriving positive culture at St James’ Park.
“I have one-on-one conversations with him every day.
“These conversations are often about things unrelated to football, like my transfer and my family.”
“Here is a great work environment. It makes me happy.”
Woltemade also discussed his early talks with Howe and the boss’ reassuring message after he signed, offering a call ‘anytime’ if our new striker ever needed anything:
“The discussions with the coach were good from the start. I was immediately shown a clear plan and a path forward. The people are keen to work with me here. I’m very pleased about that.”
“It all happened quite quickly in the end. Basically, he always told me: ‘If anything happens, you can call me anytime.’ We’ve talked about it now.
“It’s important to him that I play. As long as that’s the case, everything’s fine. I think he’s happy that I scored a goal. In that respect, I’m very happy.”
Howe’s next success story?
And Howe has made it public just how proud he is of the early signs of success and happiness that Woltemade is enjoying with us.
Speaking after Saturday’s win against Wolves, the gaffer commented that the German was “Very humble, very good communicator. No language issues and the players have really taken to him.”
It is of course very early days in regards to Woltemade, and it’s important we don’t get ahead of ourselves. But if this last fortnight has been any indicator, he has more than a very bright future ahead of him.
Given Howe’s growing resume of taking youngsters like Lewis Hall, Tino Livramento and Anthony Gordon and turning them into world-beaters, Woltemade has a real golden opportunity over the next few weeks to truly cement himself as one of the best young strikers both in the Premier League and the Champions League.
