Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has urged fans to be patient with club-record signing Nick Woltemade now the rest of the Premier League is getting to know the German striker’s strengths and weaknesses.
Woltemade made a fine start to his time in English football following his pre-season arrival from Stuttgart for a fee of £69 million ($94 million) with six goals in his first 11 games for northeast side Newcastle.
But the goals have dried up for the 23-year-old, who has failed to find the back of the net in his last 12 appearances
“He is young, (it’s) a new league,” Howe said of Woltemade in the build-up to Saturday’s match at home to seventh-placed Brentford — four positions above Newcastle in the table.
“He started so well and I think everybody expected that to continue but I think that is very difficult to do, as much as we wanted that to happen for him.
“He is getting to grips with the challenges of the Premier League — the speed, the intensity and the physicality.
“And of course teams are getting to know him as well and I think that is the biggest challenge for him. Teams understand his game and what he wants to do so he has to find solutions the other way.
“You have to keep ahead of the other teams so there is work for him to do but I think he has done everything with such a great attitude and great way. That is the biggest thing for me he needs to do to be successful.”
Newcastle go into Saturday’s match after the League Cup holders’ defence of their first major domestic trophy in 70 years ended on Wednesday as Manchester City completed a 5-1 aggregate semi-final win.
That defeat at the Etihad Stadium led to intense social media speculation that the 48-year-old Howe had taken Newcastle as far as he can amid suggestions he could replace Thomas Tuchel as England manager after the World Cup.
Newcastle, however, are just seven points off the top five and still involved in the Champions League — they face Azerbaijani side Qarabag over two legs for a place in the last 16 later this month — and the FA Cup.
Howe, responding to all the commentary about his future at St James’ Park, said: “That’s a surprise to me. I give my best to the football club every single day, to all the players and the staff. I try to be the best version of myself to inspire the team to win games.
“That’s my only thought. I don’t tend to look too far ahead, but I try to prepare and plan for the club to move forward in every sense. My individual future isn’t really relevant.
“Who knows? I don’t know my length of time here, I’ve got no idea. I just try to do my best every day until told differently.”