Danny Murphy explains why he is so impressed with Newcastle United’s transfer window

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Danny Murphy is impressed with Newcastle’s transfer business in replacing Alexander Isak with Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade.

It was a fittingly long and dragged-out transfer deadline day for Newcastle United, after a long and dragged-out transfer window.

Alexander Isak heading to Liverpool for £125m and Yoanne Wissa signing for Newcastle in a £55m switch were obviously happening from very early in the day, yet it took both clubs until hours past the 7pm deadline to confirm the transfers.

The news finally dropped late on Monday evening to put a sorry saga to bed for Newcastle, with Eddie Howe now able to move on and prepare for fixtures without Isak’s absence looming over his team.

Newcastle were forced to pay a premium to sign Wissa, but it was a necessary evil after caving in on their £150m Isak asking price.

With record signing Nick Woltemade also recruited to fill the gap, Danny Murphy has been impressed with Newcastle’s transfer window.

• Who is Nick Woltemade? The ‘two-metre Messi-Musiala’ Newcastle United broke transfer record to sign

Danny Murphy verdict on Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa signings

Speaking on TalkSport’s deadline day show, Murphy was asked for his verdict on Wissa and Woltemade, giving a glowing review.

“They’re both so different,” Murphy said on TalkSport. “You’ve got the pace of Wissa, getting in behind, a bit more of a box player.

“He’s got that athleticism about him and cuteness. Woltemade is more clever and cute at bringing people into play.

“He’s somebody who manipulates the ball well and sees passes. I wouldn’t call him dynamic. He’s just got a really good understanding and football IQ.

“He could drop in and play as a 10 at times. Wissa could do the wide role. We’ve seen him do that at Brentford.

“They’ve got loads of games because they’re in the Champions League. They’ve both got different characteristics, so I understand the contrast. I think it’s good business for Newcastle.”

Have Newcastle done enough to replace Alexander Isak?

While excitement is high around Woltemade, it does remain to be seen if he can live up to the hype.

Players joining the Premier League from Germany can often struggle to adapt, with Liverpool’s other record signing this summer, Florian Wirtz, finding the jump quite difficult so far.

Impressive performances in the Bundesliga don’t always translate to England, and Woltemade’s stats aren’t that impressive to begin with, especially for a £69m player.

Wissa, however, is much more of a sure bet, even if Simon Jordan isn’t impressed. The 28-year-old has four years of Premier League experience under his belt and bagged 19 goals last season.

£55m is steep for a player who will soon turn 29 and is in the final year of his contract, but Newcastle had no other choice but to get him in. It’s certainly better to overpay than not have him for the season.

What’s promising for Woltemade and Wissa, is that Howe improves players and he can certainly do the same for the pair. He’ll need to if Newcastle are to remain in the top end of the table.