Better signing than Woltemade: Newcastle struck gold on star who is “back”
Eddie Howe would have been left equally frustrated and delighted with his Newcastle United troops after their 2-2 Premier League draw with Chelsea on Saturday lunchtime.
On one hand, it was definitely an improvement from the lifeless showing served up against Sunderland in the Tyne-Wear Derby, as the Magpies raced into a two-goal lead in the first half.
Unfortunately, though, Howe’s hosts would have to settle for just a share of the points come the final whistle, as Joao Pedro – who was once on Newcastle’s transfer radar – scored the equalising strike for Enzo Maresca’s comeback kings late on.
Still, Nick Woltemade would have been overjoyed with his own personal efforts, as his own goal in that tense showdown at the Stadium of Light has now been quickly shoved to one side, with the electric brace he managed to pick up against the Blues.
Woltemade's redemption arc vs Chelsea
The towering German would steal the show with his first-half double, with the ex-Stuttgart goal machine presumably overjoyed at the final whistle, after he was public enemy number one against the Black Cats.
The Bremen-born menace will hope he can recapture his best form at St James’ Park now, with just one weak goal next to his name from his previous eight Premier League clashes, heading into his inspired showing against the West Londoners.
Still, despite falling victim to barren patches of form, Woltemade has a bumper nine goals to shout about from 23 Newcastle appearances and counting, with his £69m price tag more than justified when he’s at top form for Howe and Co.
Woltemade will just hope he can be more consistently clinical, with one of his attacking teammates against Chelsea, arguably reinforcing his tag as being a better signing than the expensive German, despite also being prone to hit-and-miss displays on Tyneside.
The Newcastle star who has been a better signing than Woltemade
For how much he cost – which was a record fee for the Toon – Newcastle will just want Woltemade to be capable of hitting his lethal heights on a more regular basis.
Yet, he is only human, with Anthony Gordon, who has partnered the 6-foot-6 marksman an awful lot this season, also letting his performance levels worryingly drop at stages this campaign.
Indeed, the former Everton winger was even accused of entering “Gabriel Obertan territory” by one analyst when he was deep in a poor patch of form, who notably flopped on Tyneside after a major move from Manchester United, with a concerning zero goals or assists heading his way across his first seven Premier League outings of the season.
He was also heavily criticised after the sobering Sunderland loss when failing to register a single shot at Robin Roefs’ goal from a forgettable 22 touches. But, he more than redeemed himself against Chelsea by reminding everyone at St James’ Park why he once cost a whopping £45m to obtain from the Toffees, when looking lively throughout, to stick out as a better purchase than Woltemade.
Gordon’s performance in numbers vs Chelsea
Stat
Gordon
Minutes played
72
Goals scored
0
Assists
1
Touches
37
Accurate passes
13/16 (81%)
Key passes
2
Big chances created
2
Accurate crosses
2/5
Total duels won
5/6
Stats by Sofascore
After all, for £24m less than the former Bundesliga star, Newcastle have managed to win themselves a talent who has a stunning 55 goal contributions for the club, with his assist for Woltemade’s second of the day an inch-perfect cross for the lofty German to tap home.
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Sky Sports’ Andy Sixsmith also declared Gordon as being “well and truly back” to his best against the Blues, with his “tireless” work ethic clear for all to see when winning five duels.
Moreover, it isn’t out of the question that Gordon could be sold on for some mega bucks down the line if he can keep up his blistering return to form, with the Liverpool-born attacker once on the shopping list of the Reds, allegedly, for a mammoth £100m.
On the flip side, while Woltemade is a beloved individual already with the Toon, with the aforementioned Sixsmith boldly labelling his link-up play as “mesmerising”, it could still be argued that Newcastle overpaid somewhat for his services, as his Transfermarkt valuation sits more around the £61m range.
Gordon will pray that he’s out the other side of his dreadful performances for this season, with the gung-ho winger – on his day – Newcastle’s “best player” according to Howe, and he could be viewed as an even better pick-up than the much-talked about Woltemade, for what he’s been able to gift the Toon, ever since walking out of Goodison Park.
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