WATCH: Nick Woltemade's magic moment for Germany raises more Newcastle questions

Nick Woltemade's had a very bizarre first season in English football following his £69 million move to Newcastle United in the summer.

Seen by many as a 'panic buy' after Newcastle saw all of their primary striker targets move elsewhere, there was still a huge buzz when the Magpies swooped for the Under-21 European Championship's top scorer.

Bayern Munich had been chasing the 6'6" German international all summer, but were playing hardball with Stuttgart over the price. Newcastle couldn't afford to let another potential signing pass them by and gave the Bundesliga side exactly what they were asking, and the deal was completed very quickly.

Nick Woltemade was never meant to lead the line for Newcastle immediately. Eddie Howe had brought in Yoane Wissa to do that while Woltemade acclimatised, but an injury to the DR Congo international changed the plans.

Woltemade's classy

Big Nick made a fantastic start to his Premier League career, surprising everyone with his adaptability and his fancy footwork, quickly becoming a fan favourite.

However, that form started to fade, and the longer the Germans went without a goal, the more Eddie Howe searched for novel answers, ultimately moving him into midfield. A move that hasn't been popular with the majority of fans.

Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann has gone to great pains to emphasise that he will be using Woltemade as a striker, and true to his word, he did so last night in a 2-1 friendly win over Ghana, where Big Nick produced this moment of magic.

We’ve got this genius playing as a ‘go chase the ball son’ CM 😂pic.twitter.com/C30TO3zCnR

— ben (@bennufc_18) March 30, 2026

The goal was ultimately ruled out, but Newcastle fans have been quick to jump on it to question why a player with this vision and this intelligence (in the box!) is being deployed deep in midfield.

Woltemade needs to learn to make space in the Premier League

To play Devil's Advocate a little bit. Nick Woltemade has shown many times this season that he's not quite used to the pace of the Premier League and hasn't quite learned that he doesn't have as much time on the ball as he was used to last season.

He's arguably at his best when he's receiving the ball to feet and moving it beyond players, but in the English game, he just doesn't have the time to do that before he's clattered from behind. We've seen it so many times where he's received the ball in a good area and immediately been dispossessed and dropped to the ground.

These are all things that will come in time, no doubt, but Eddie Howe needs to restore him to his preferred position to get the best out of him, and that run, touch and lay-off last night is a prime example of what he can do for us.