Newcastle: Nick Woltemade needed as fans turn on Alexander Isak

Marco Grote had been “convinced for years that he can be a special player” after coaching Woltemade with Werder Bremen’s under-19s.

But last season was when Woltemade truly became a household name in his homeland.

Working closely with Stuttgart manager Sebastian Hoeness, on the training pitch and in the video analysis room, Woltemade went on to score 17 goals in 33 games, including the opener in the German Cup final, as the centre-forward won the first major trophy of his career.

Woltemade then lit up the under-21 Euros last month and went home with the Golden Boot as Germany reached the final – only to lose 3-2 to England.

Bayern Munich felt moved enough to make several unsuccessful bids before Newcastle stumped up a club-record package of £65m plus £4m in add-ons this week.

Given the situation with Isak, and the lack of time left in the window, Newcastle had to act after seeing targets Hugo Ekitike, Benjamin Sesko and Joao Pedro move elsewhere this summer.

And there are, ironically, some parallels with Isak’s arrival three years ago.

Isak was also Newcastle’s most expensive signing of all time, arrived at a similar age and he did not have much time to settle, either, after joining in the final days of the window.

The Swede, though, had long been regarded as one of the continent’s top prospects and, crucially, had experience of playing in several different countries.

Woltemade, by contrast, has never played outside Germany and the striker will have only had the benefit of a few training sessions with his new team-mates before his potential debut against Wolves next month.

But he is a coachable talent who could continue to flourish in the right hands.

“He understands the game,” Grote said. “He works with the team and the coaches hand in hand. He wants to learn, he wants to become a better player and is ambitious. He loves the game. He has a talent but he worked hard for his development.

“Give him time – he is young, it’s a new country. It is not so easy for everybody. The fee is not his responsibility, but he is diligent and professional. With patience, he is a player who can make the difference.”