Nick Woltemade should be pleased that PIF overpaid for Newcastle United’s most important signing

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Newcastle United made six major signings during the summer transfer window but none will be more important than Yoane Wissa – at least on an immediate basis.

Newcastle United may well have overpaid for a player approaching 30 and into the final two years of his contract at Brentford but, frankly, there can be little time to worry about that.

Indeed, Newcastle may end up paying £55million for Wissa, which feels steep.

Still, they simply could not rely on Nick Woltemade to replace Alexander Isak’s goals during his first season in the Premier League. That would not have been fair to the German, the fans or to Eddie Howe.

With that in mind, forcing through the Wissa deal was of the utmost importance.

• Who is Yoane Wissa? Newcastle United’s £55m Alexander Isak replacement

Yoane Wissa is Newcastle United’s most important signing

Woltemade may go on to prove himself as one of the best forwards in Europe. He certainly has talent and Howe is excited to work with Newcastle’s club-record signing for a reason. 

However, throwing him into the deep end would have been unwise. It would be a tough ask for anyone to replace Isak, never mind a player who has scored only 14 Bundesliga goals in his career.

Wissa, then, looks ideal. He’s ready to hit the ground running, leaning on years of Premier League experience at Brentford. 

The DR Congo international scored 19 goals last season without taking a penalty. That’s the same haul as Isak, who scored from the spot four times on his way to 23 goals during the 2024/25 campaign.

Now, the team have an experienced operator on which to lean. Isak had that luxury when he arrived in 2022, with Callum Wilson still in something approaching his pomp at the time.

Having that experience to lead the frontline helps both Howe and Woltemade. To suggest there’s no pressure on the German whatsoever would be unwise, but his job got an awful lot easier when Wissa walked through the door.

£55million may seem like a lot but, if it helps Woltemade develop into an elite striker all while bringing a few goals into the Newcastle United squad, it would have to be seen as money well spent.

Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade could play together

Perhaps most excitingly, the versatility of the two means they can play together.

Howe has generally used only one striker during his time as Newcastle United manager. In fact, in three years playing together, Isak and Callum Wilson only appeared on the pitch together 26 times.

Part of that is due to injury but the 4-3-3 formation Howe generally deploys obviously only provides room for one striker.

Woltemade, however, looks capable of playing as a No.10. Of his 160 career appearances, 55 have come in that kind of position, while Howe has already talked up his passing range.

Even if he were to play up front, Wissa’s ability to drift wide unlocks another door for Howe.

If all goes to plan and Wissa takes the pressure of Woltemade as he develops nicely all while scoring a few goals himself, £55million may look like a bargain…