\n<\/p>\n
On first glance, Woltemade appears a battering ram of a centre forward – but that could not be further from the truth.<\/p>\n
The towering striker is technically gifted – comfortable wriggling it out of tight spaces and linking play – and has even been nicknamed ‘Woltemessi’ by Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.<\/p>\n
This unique profile convinced Newcastle to break their transfer record to cap a remarkable 12 months for Woltemade.<\/p>\n
A year ago, Woltemade was not even a household name in Germany. He was not even guaranteed a starting spot at Stuttgart when he joined the club on a free transfer from Werder Bremen.<\/p>\n
However, his progress since then has been remarkable.<\/p>\n
Woltemade scored 17 goals in 33 games for Stuttgart last season, including the opener in the German Cup final, as the striker won the first major trophy of his career.<\/p>\n
He then lit up the Under-21 Euros last month and finished the tournament as top scorer with six goals as Germany reached the final, where they lost to England in extra time.<\/p>\n
Woltemade won’t have much time to settle at Newcastle – neither did Isak, incidentally, when he joined the club at a similar age and a similar stage of the window three years ago – but this is clearly a coachable player with all the attributes to go to another level under Howe and his staff.<\/p>\n
That is certainly what Newcastle will be banking on and, given the situation with Isak, and the lack of time left in the window, the black-and-whites will have felt they had to make the move this summer.<\/p>\n
Otherwise, there is a very real possibility that Woltemade, who also attracted bids from Bayern Munich, could simply have been unobtainable following another impressive season in the Bundesliga.<\/p>\n
It does not feel like Newcastle are finished yet, though.<\/p>\n
They are still active in the market and remain interested in Wolves striker Jorgen Strand Larsen and Brentford’s Yoane Wissa.<\/p>\n
Neither deal would be straightforward to do so late in the window – there is little time for Wolves or Brentford to source a replacement before Monday’s 19:00 BST deadline – but things can move quickly.<\/p>\n
The Woltemade deal proved that.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n