Eddie Howe speaks of 'gut feeling' he had about Nick Woltemade when speaking to the big summer signing
Nick Woltemade has immediately impressed since making the move to the Premier League with Newcastle United in the summer for a club record fee of around £69 million.
Eyebrows were raised when Newcastle spent so much money on a 23-year-old who'd just come out of nowhere over the last 12 months. Two years ago, Woltemade was playing in the third tier of German football, and suddenly, he's a full German international being tracked by Bayern Munich and picking up the Golden Boot in the Under 21s European Championships.
Newcastle waited until the end of the summer window to make their move after several other targets slipped through the net, and with Woltemade being so new to the upper echelons of the game, it was thought it would take the 6'6" star some time to adapt to the rigours of the Premier League.
Unfortunately, he wasn't afforded that luxury as Newcastle's other centre-forward signing, Yoane Wissa, picked up an injury before making his debut.
Eddie Howe could tell Nick Wolteamde had what it takes to lead Newcastle United's attack
Thrown into the starting lineup, Woltemade has adapted brilliantly after a tough start in which he admitted he wasn't ready for the pace of the league. Now with three goals in four games and praise coming from Newcastle fans and neutrals alike, Eddie Howe has spoken to the media this morning about the feeling he got when speaking to Woltemade for the first time.
"He is handling it really well. He is a great guy, very positive. He seems very relaxed here and seems at home already which is crucial to his success on the pitch. He is taking direction to adapt his game and he has been very receptive to it. Physically the first game at Wolves was tough for him but slowly but surely when you get used to those demands you can get through games pretty quickly.
"The psychology factor that comes with the position, not everybody can take that here. When I spoke to him I immediately thought he could. That was just a gut feel. Ultimately, it comes down to an inner drive and an inner self-belief."
Nick Woltemade is looking like a Premier League player already
Nick Woltemade has clearly been putting in the work to get up to speed, given that he asked to come off early in his first game after cramping up after an hour.
There have been no signs of that level of fatigue ever since, and Howe seems confident that he will be ready to start again on Sunday for the third time in seven days.
Fingers crossed that is the case, given that the alternative is Anthony Gordon playing as a number 9, which will just wind up the fans.
