Are Newcastle United finally clicking into gear this season?
It appears that way, with Eddie Howe’s Magpies now three wins from their last three matches in all competitions, which included an excellent 2-0 EFL Cup win being picked up over Thomas Frank’s challenging Tottenham Hotspur last time out at St James’ Park.
Still, the Toon only have three wins next to their name in the Premier League from their opening nine clashes, meaning more positive results need to be picked up in the bread and butter of the top-flight soon, with away trips to West Ham United and Brentford now on their agenda.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s men will, no doubt, be fearful of Newcastle’s attack as they loiter near the bottom of the tough division, with Nick Woltemade helping himself to yet another goal against Spurs to add to his ever-increasing Magpies back catalogue.
Woltemade's unbelievable Newcastle start
Woltemade would ensure his new side would progress through to the quarter finals of the EFL Cup when he headed this effort past a hapless Antonín Kinský.
He hasn’t just reserved his goals this season for when he comes up against stand-in goalkeepers, however, with Woltemade also boasting a mightily impressive four strikes back in league action, which has even led to opposition managers such as the Brighton and Hove Albion boss Fabian Hurzeler hailing him as “special” in what he can uniquely offer the Tyneside giants.
Indeed, it isn’t just a lethal edge that the 6-foot-6 marksman can provide, whether that be when he’s racing through on goal, or being positioned intelligently to head home a cross, with Woltemade also often in the correct spaces to progress his side’s efforts going forward with a killer pass.
He was at the heart of Harvey Barnes’ goal against Benfica in the Champions League, for example, as his ingenious flick then led to the number 11 firing home, after Anthony Gordon had played it into his path.
To put it simply, acquiring the ex-Stuttgart striker for £69m – although looking rather steep at the time – has now gone down as a “first class” signing, as his manager has recently stated.
Howe and Co. could well look to this coming January in trying to win more attacking firepower in a similar vein to their new star-man, as one move is reportedly eyed up…
Newcastle's search for another striker
After all, although William Osula has looked dangerous off the bench for Newcastle in recent matches, there is a lack of depth in the striker spot at St James’ Park – with Yoane Wissa still sidelined.
This might spark the Magpies into attempting to seal Alexander Sorloth’s signature in January, as Ross Wilson plots what his first bit of business at his new club will be as the fresh sporting director.
Newcastle could do far worse than landing Sorloth if rumours are to be believed, with Spanish outlet Marca – via Sport Witness – that eyes are very firmly on the Norwegian’s exploits at Atletico Madrid between now and the transfer window swinging open, with scouts from Newcastle previously watching the 29-year-old in action back in September.
The similarities between Woltemade and the Scandinavian are immediately obvious, with Sorloth coming in at a gigantic 6-foot-4 frame himself.
On top of that, despite some wobbles this season under Diego Simeone, he has been a reliable source of goals for most of his stay in Spain to date, leading to the fiery Simeone lauding him as a “phenomenal” finisher.
25/26
9 (3)
2 + 0
24/25
35 (15)
20 + 2
23/24
34 (30)
28 + 6
22/23
34 (28)
12 + 3
21/22
33 (20)
4 + 0
Looking at the table above, it’s clear that Sorloth possesses the same split-second instinct Woltemade possesses when finishing off chances, with this season seeing him bag three goals, despite only averaging 40 minutes of action in La Liga per game.
In total, the 66-time Norway international now has 61 Spanish top-flight strikes next to his name, which far outweighs his German counterpart’s Bundesliga tally of 14 goals.
Away from clearly being potent, Simeone has also noted that Sorloth is “important in every moment and context of the game you can imagine”, with an eye for an assist and carving out an opening also clear, with Howe very much ready to use him as a focal point like Woltemade, knowing he’s a similar team player.
It’s unlikely that he would usurp Woltemade from the get-go, but as another second-in-command option for a potential £27m fee, it feels like a no-brainer to chase after.