Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe has refused to make comparisons between Nick Woltemade and Alexander Isak, Afrosport reports.
Woltemade joined the Magpies from Stuttgart as a last-minute replacement for Isak, who sealed a British record £125 million to Liverpool after a lengthy battle between the player and the club.
Woltemade made an instant impact for Newcastle, scoring on his debut in a 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, but failed to find the back of the net against Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League and Howe’s former club, Bournemouth, in the Premier League.
Howe, speaking ahead of the EFL Cup third round tie against Bradford City, considers it unfair to compare Woltemade with Isak, who had a productive three seasons at St. James’ Park, scoring 62 goals in 109 competitive appearances.
“I don’t think any comparison to Alex is favourable to any player because I wouldn’t do that in other positions. Every player is unique in their own right, and Nick is certainly that,” he said.
“I thought overall he had a decent game [against Bournemouth] and I think some of his link-play and build-up was really good. He was a focal point in the game that we needed and enabled us to get higher up the pitch, and I thought he contributed in a number of ways.
“As a team, we didn’t function particularly well in the attacking half, there is no denying that. We weren’t creating chances for him, and to a degree, as a centre-forward, you are reliant on that service, and we didn’t provide him with enough. The team has to take responsibility for that, and we have to take responsibility for that.”
Eddie Howe on Nick Woltemade:
“I thought overall he had a decent game. Some of his link play in the build-up was really good. He was a focal point that we needed and enabled us to get higher up the pitch. As a team we didn’t function particularly well in the attacking half.… pic.twitter.com/QuSdW9ickp
— Newcastle United (@NUFC) September 23, 2025
Newcastle are the defending EFL Cup champions after defeating Liverpool at Wembley last season for their first domestic title in 70 years.
