WOLTEMADE THE UNUSUAL CULT HERO

In this series, The Straits Times highlights the players or teams to watch in the world of sport. Today, we focus on Newcastle United striker Nick Woltemade, who has surprised many by stepping into the big shoes of Alexander Isak.

- Andy Ng Correspondent

In the sweltering chaos of a late summer transfer window, Newcastle United found themselves in hot water. Their talismanic striker, Alexander Isak, had forced through a £125 million (S$213.4 million) move to Liverpool, leaving a void that echoed through St James' Park.

The Magpies, under manager Eddie Howe, scrambled for a replacement. They lost out to their rivals for targets like Benjamin Sesko and Hugo Ekitike, before landing on an unlikely saviour — 23-year-old German forward Nick Woltemade from VfB Stuttgart.

Signed on a club-record £69 million deal on Aug 30, Woltemade arrived not as a proven English Premier League predator, but as a relatively unknown player with just 70 Bundesliga appearances under his belt.

Bayern Munich board member Karl-Heinz Rummenigge even claimed that Newcastle were “idiots” for meeting Stuttgart’s asking price.

Yet, three months later, the 1.98m Woltemade has silenced the doubters, emerging as his new team's breakout star and an unexpected cult hero. His blend of aerial dominance, silky linkup play and relentless work rate has pushed him out of Isak's shadow and into the limelight.

Born in Bremen on Feb 14, 2002, Woltemade became Werder Bremen’s youngest-ever league debutant at 17 when he started against Augsburg in the 2019-20 campaign, according to the Bundesliga website.

A loan to SV Elversberg in Germany’s 3. Liga yielded 10 goals in 31 league appearances, but his breakthrough came at Stuttgart in 2024-25. It was there where he erupted for 17 goals in 33 matches across all competitions, including a strike in the DFB-Pokal final victory.