How Newcastle could replace Woltemade in the dying stages of the window

Newcastle United‘s concerning pre-season continued on Saturday when they were beaten 2-1 by German giants Bayer Leverkusen at St. James’ Park.

The Magpies have now lost three of their last four pre-season matches, conceding ten goals in the process, and only have one more game before their Premier League opener.

Matthias Jaissle has a big job on his hands after taking the reins from Eddie Howe, and he may need patience from supporters to turn things around.

The German boss will also need backing from the board before the end of the summer transfer window, potentially with the addition of an upgrade on Nick Woltemade.

Why Newcastle already need to replace Nick Woltemade

It has only been 12 months since the Magpies smashed their transfer record to sign the Germany international from Stuttgart for a fee of £69m, yet they may already need to replace him as a starter.

He looked like an exciting addition to Howe’s squad after a return of 17 goals and three assists in 33 appearances for Stuttgart in the 2025/26 campaign, as the young forward showcased his quality on a regular basis in the Bundesliga.

Unfortunately, though, the physicality and intensity of the Premier League has looked too much for him so far, despite a fast start to life at St. James’ Park last season.

Woltemade scored four goals in his first five appearances in the division for the Magpies, before going on to score just four times in the next 28 games, leading to Howe trialling him in central midfield at times.

He has followed that up with a disappointing pre-season for Jaissle. In three appearances, against Valencia, Everton, and Leverkusen, the striker only registered one shot and failed to create anything for his teammates.

His struggles in the Premier League for the majority of last season and his poor form in pre-season suggests that the club may already need to find an upgrade on him before the deadline.

Newcastle chasing deal for Woltemade upgrade

A deal to find that upgrade may already be in the pipeline, as Jaissle eyes up a move for an attacker who is a class above the towering German.

According to a report from Italy, Newcastle United are one of a number of clubs in the race to sign AC Milan centre-forward Christopher Nkunku before the end of the summer transfer window.

The French attacker is said to be leaving Milan this summer and his availability has attracted interest from a host of teams, including Borussia Dortmund and other unnamed sides from Spain and England.

Jaissle is chasing a Magpies deal for the France international, who joined Milan from Chelsea for £36m last year, but it remains to be seen how much the Italian outfit want for his services.

Nkunku’s availability represents a great opportunity for Newcastle to sign a player who may not have been available to them earlier in his career, as he was courted by bigger sides with more resources after his time at Leipzig.

The 28-year-old star scored seven goals and provided three assists in 15 starts in the Serie A last season, an impressive return given his lack of minutes, but it is his form for Leipzig in the past that suggests that he has much more to offer.

He racked up 18 goal contributions in three of his four seasons with the German club and reached 30 goal contributions in each of his last two campaigns before signing for Chelsea.

These statistics show that he has the potential to be an outstanding contributor at the top end of the pitch, as both a scorer and a creator of goals in the centre-forward position.

He went on to score 18 goals in 62 matches in all competitions for Chelsea, as he struggled with injuries, but the forward produced those goals in just 27 starts, which is further evidence of the quality that he can provide when fit and selected.

Woltemade, meanwhile, has never scored more than 17 goals or provided more than four assists in a single season in his career, and averaged a goal every 242 minutes in the Premier League last term.

Nkunku scored every 197 minutes in the Serie A for Milan, whilst also supplying three assists, and scored six goals in 11 starts during his time in the Premier League with Chelsea.

The Frenchman has not been given the starts that he would have liked at Chelsea and Milan, but his output in limited minutes and his form when he was a regular starter at Leipzig suggests that he has the quality to be a class above Woltemade in the final third for Newcastle.

That is why Jaissle should be pushing for the club to win the race for his signature before the deadline, provided that Milan demand a reasonable fee for him.