‘Very tough’ - Eddie Howe praises Nick Woltemade for doing one thing at Newcastle United
Nick Woltemade has enjoyed a solid start to life since joining Newcastle United for £69million.
Eddie Howe has praised Nick Woltemade for his solid start at Newcastle United under “tough” circumstances.
The German has netted six goals across all competitions to help plug the gap left by Alexander Isak. That is despite Newcastle struggling in the Premier League, with Howe’s men sitting 14th.
Woltemade’s price tag attracted criticism - especially from sections of German media. But the 23-year-old’s form has silenced the doubters on the continent.
‘Delighted with Nick’ - Eddie Howe
Speaking to NBC, Howe “I think our new signings have done pretty well. I’ve been delighted with Nick. (It has been) very, very tough for him.
“He’s been thrown in the deep end, with very little training time with us and straight into match days with no training in between either because we had such an intense period of fixtures. But he’s got to grasp with everything quickly and scored some big goals for us.”
Eddie Howe on new signings
Howe also praised the impact of other new arrivals - namely Malick Thiaw - while opening up about what others can bring to the table. He added: “(Malick Thiaw) Seems like he’s been in the team for a lot longer than that. He’s settled in really well.
“He’s built a good relationship with the players around him, delighted with how he’s started. Yoane (Wissa) will bring a lot. I think he’s got a lot of really good attributes that we’ll look to utilise. He’s got pace, knows where the goal is, very good link player as well.”
“And then when you add Jacob Ramsey, he’s another player just back fit, I think he’s got a big future with us, and Aaron Ramsdale started well too. So I think all the new signings have contributed and will contribute a lot more as we go on.”
‘I feel good’ - Nick Woltemade
Last month, Woltemade opened up about how his new manager has helped him settle on Tyneside. The 23-year-old said: “He (Howe) makes me feel good. I have one-on-one conversations with him every day. They are mostly about topics that have nothing to do with football. Like my move, or how my family is doing.
“It is a great working culture here. When you score as a striker on the pitch the feeling is really good. But also outside (of football), I feel really good. The gaffer is such a good gaffer. I’ve only been here for four weeks but I feel such a good connection.”