Newcastle United young forward injured - officially joined the club last week
An injury means the Newcastle United forward will have to wait before making his first appearance for the club.
A busy end to the summer transfer window for Newcastle United saw one exciting deal fall under the radar.
The Magpies’ striker situation came to a head in the final few days of the window, with Nick Woltemade joining for a club-record £69million from Stuttgart, while on deadline day it was one in, one out.
After weeks of being on strike, Alexander Isak finally got his wish by joining Liverpool for a British record £130m and the Magpies used part of the funds to bring in Yoane Wissa from Brentford for £55m.
There is an understanding that Woltemade will need a period to adapt to the Premier League after one standout campaign in the Bundesliga, though in the meantime, it is hoped Wissa can hit the ground running after he scored 19 goals in the Premier League last season.
Newcastle United new signing goes under the radar
Last Saturday, the same day Woltemade was in the stands to watch the Magpies’ goalless draw at Leeds United, the Magpies quietly wrapped up a deal for another attacker.
In October last year, Newcastle confirmed that Georgian forward Vakhtang Salia would be joining the club from Georgian top-flight side Dinamo Tbilisi once he turns 18 this August.
Salia then visited Tyneside in January, where he met Eddie Howe and then sporting director Paul Mitchell at the training ground before heading to St James’ Park to watch United’s 3-1 FA Cup third round victory over Bromley.
Seven months on, Salia has arrived in the North East permanently after his Newcastle transfer became official on August 30.
The 18-year-old came through the academy at Tbilisi and made 57 senior appearances, scoring eight goals and providing four assists.
Vakhtang Salia’s Newcastle United debut delayed
Salia had been expected to link up with Newcastle’s under-21s team with a view to heading out on loan, however his development is currently on hold, with NewcastleWorld learning that the forward is sidelined with a hamstring injury.
When Salia is due to return is not yet known, though the issue is thought to be enough to keep him out until later this year.
Vakhtang Salia’s goodbye message to Dinamo Tbilisi
Salia didn’t feature for Tbilisi in the weeks leading up to Newcastle transfer. He confirmed his departure on August 19 by posting a farewell message on social media.
“The moment has come when I have to say goodbye to my home club,” Salia wrote on Instagram. “It's not easy, but I know it's part of football and a new phase of my career ahead.
“I spent a lot of time at Dynamo - after almost every age group in the academy, I adapted to the first team uniform and that’s where I became a professional footballer. I'll never forget my debut goal scored in Torpedo's door.
“I learned everything I know now at this club, and I’m very grateful to everyone I’ve met along the way - coaches, teammates, management, staff and fans.
“I know that there is a long way ahead of me and I am ready to give everything I can to succeed. Goodbye, but I believe that we will definitely meet in the future. Blue and white all the way! 💙🤍”