Nick Woltemade namechecks Alexander Isak as Newcastle United star speaks on ‘potential for tension’
Nick Woltemade admits things could have gone wrong quickly after replacing Alexander Isak at Newcastle United.
Woltemade has impressed for Newcastle United after the club broke their transfer record to sign him while Isak was forcing a move to Liverpool.
Replacing Isak, as unpopular as the Sweden star now is on Tyneside, looked like an impossible task and not only for footballing reasons.
Isak, once a hero, had burned his legacy at St James’ Park and the players Newcastle initially tried to replace him with opted to go elsewhere.
It was an ugly situation but, thankfully for Eddie Howe, new man Woltemade stepped up to score on his debut against Wolves. Five more goals have followed since, while Isak remains on just the one.
While Newcastle are struggling to get the best out of the German right now, he’s certainly doing his end of the bargain. Indeed, the player himself is happy about that.
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
The forward gave a wide-ranging interview to BILD in which he discussed all manner of topics.
He talked of how the Germany players reacted to his move to Newcastle, as well as how he really felt about digs from Bayern Munich about his price tag.
Asked about how pleased he was to have hit the ground running, Woltemade said: “Very relieving. The whole Newcastle situation had potential for tension, especially since I arrived on the last day.
“Then there was the transfer fee. The expectations placed on me, because Newcastle’s top striker, Alexander Isak, had left.
“The start of the season wasn’t ideal. There was definitely pressure – I was very glad that it subsided. I quickly realised in Newcastle that things were a good fit not only on a footballing level, but also on a personal one.”
2025-26 Premier League statisticsNick WoltemadeAlexander IsakGames83Starts81Minutes played618253Goals40Assists00Shots/901.61.5Key passes/900.50.3Aerial duels/901.11Data via WhoScored.
How Nick Woltemade helped Newcastle United fans forget about Alexander Isak
Newcastle have an awful lot of problems right now, there’s little getting away from that.
Missing Isak, however, isn’t one of them. The team may still be getting used to playing with a striker of a different profile, but goals from a centre-forward are not an issue.
Woltemade is right. There was potential for tension. Had he struggled, major questions would have been asked, and Isak’s shadow could have lingered on Tyneside.
Indeed, Woltemade’s record-breaking start to life at Newcastle isn’t to be taken for granted. There were no guarantees his move would work and there still aren’t.
However, by getting off the mark early, he got rid of all that.
To say no one is talking of Isak now would be unfair. It was such a big saga that it will no doubt take a while to fully digest.
Thanks to Woltemade, however, it’s getting much easier to move on.
