Formed by Hammers supporters Jack Elderton and Callum Goodall to offer their fellow fans in-depth but accessible analysis of their team and its players, Analytics United use performance analysis and data to examine how Newcastle United could approach their visit to London Stadium…
With three wins, three draws and three losses in the league so far this season, Newcastle have had a mixed start to their 2025/26 Premier League campaign. The loss of Alexander Isak to Liverpool was always going to bring a period of change, but with Nick Woltemade settling in well after his move from German club Stuttgart to the Premier League, and with Yoane Wissa and Lewis Hall soon to return from periods on the sidelines, things are beginning to look up on Tyneside.
When assessing Newcastle this season, there is no other place to start than with the change at the top of the pitch. Swedish superstar Isak had been directly involved in 43% of the team’s goals last season, and the impacts of his departure were always likely to be seismic. In signing Woltemade, however, Howe’s side have clearly found the best possible solution.
At 23, with just over 3,000 top-flight minutes, what Woltemade lacks in senior experience, he more than makes up for in potential. The German has that same rare physical combination of strength, height and speed with the kind of rounded profile that puts every top club on alert, and he truly announced himself across European football following his move to Stuttgart last summer, managing 17 goals and three assists across 33 appearances. Much like the departed Isak, Woltemade is technically capable in combination with his physical traits, allowing him to function as a drop-and-link player who can help create chances as well as finish them. Producing over two shots (2.05) and racking up 0.26 expected assisted goals (xAG) per 90, Woltemade was one of the top-performing creators last season in Germany, form that earned him his senior debut for the national side in the UEFA Nations League semi-final against Portugal in June.
