Eddie Howe admits he felt as if Nick Woltemade could handle the pressure at Newcastle United straight away.
Woltemade is the latest striker Newcastle United fans are pinning their hopes on, with the German international replacing Alexander Isak at the club.
In a rather unhelpful development, Bayern Munich keep aiming digs at Newcastle over Woltemade’s price tag.
The forward could eventually cost Newcastle a reported £69million, which brings a lot of pressure.
So far, however, there have been promising signs. The 23-year-old has already scored three goals in six games for his new club.
Leading the line for Newcastle United is not easy. While the club boast a proud history of having excellent strikers in their squad, not every player can handle it.
Still, Howe thought his new forward was capable of it upon their initial meeting.
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Nick Woltemade impressed Eddie Howe straight away
The Newcastle United manager was asked about the forward’s impressive start to life at the club when speaking on Friday.
He admitted that his gut feeling upon their first conversation was that Woltemade could make a success of being Newcastle’s new hero.
There’s still a long way to go for Woltemade, there’s little doubt about that. It’s important not to put too much pressure on him at an early stage, given the team are still learning to play with him.
However, it’s been brilliant to see him make such a strong start.
“It’s never lost on me, the psychology factor, the responsibility that comes with the position,” he said.
“Not everybody can take that here. I felt immediately when I spoke to him, he could.
“That’s sometimes a gut feel rather than any statistical data that you can get.
“You look historically, the players in that position that have had the best careers here have all had that ability to absorb pressure and go, maybe, games without scoring but still retain that belief in themselves.
“I think, ultimately, it comes down to that inner drive and that inner self belief, it’s absolutely crucial for any player in that position.”
Why Nick Woltemade isn’t Newcastle United’s number nine
As a big money signing, it was natural to assume that the German would take the vacant number nine shirt following Callum Wilson’s departure.
However, Yoane Wissa was eventually handed that after he joined the club slightly after Woltemade’s arrival.
After the Germany forward’s arrival was confirmed, Woltemade explained why he wears the shirt number 27.
He wanted to pay tribute to his mother’s birthday.
“Because of the date of birth of my mum,” he said. “She’s happy.”
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