Newcastle United

Ciaran Kelly
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

The towering Nick Woltemade looks like a typical battering ram.

The forward has scored half of his goals for Newcastle with his head and he even opened his account for Germany after getting on the end of a corner against Northern Ireland on Monday.

But appearances can be deceptive.

Woltemade's team-mates at Newcastle have quickly realised they can give the frontman the ball and he can keep hold of it under pressure, wriggle away from his marker or play a pass that brings others into the game.

According to football stats database FBref, he has received 108 passes for Newcastle - which illustrates the trust of those around him, as well as his ability to hold on to possession.

The technical forward also boasts one of the top five pass completion percentages (82.6%) at the club.

As well as being a focal point, Woltemade can drop deep and link play, feeding rapid wingers such as Anthony Gordon and Anthony Elanga, and the majority (71) of his 132 touches have been in the middle third of the pitch rather than the final third.

Former team-mate Luca Durholtz said "this striker profile doesn't really exist" elsewhere while friend Jorik Wulff, similarly, added that "most teams do not have a player type like him" after rising through the ranks with Woltemade at Werder Bremen.

"He doesn't move like a striker who's two metres tall," Wulff said. "He wants the ball at his feet and tries to dribble and go past defenders, so he's not the typical player you expect when you see him.

"Because he's so tall, most defenders think he's just strong in the air, but his technical ability is very good for a player of his size. That makes him special."

Read the full article here

Ciaran Kelly
Newcastle United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Eddie Howe did not need reminding.

"I've been going through them!" the Newcastle United head coach laughed after Ross Wilson became the club's third sporting director in four years.

But the mood music feels different this time.

When Wilson's predecessor, Paul Mitchell, arrived in the summer of 2024, Howe warned there was no point saying he was "happy staying at Newcastle if the dynamic isn't right".

The head coach was soon defending his recruitment record after Mitchell claimed the club's processes had not been "fit for purpose".

However, on Friday morning, Howe repeatedly said he was "really happy" following the arrival of Wilson and CEO David Hopkinson.

"We have got a strong group of people that are very ambitious and determined to take everything forward," he said. "All I ever ask for is support and help.

"It's a challenging job and you just need support and help to take the leaps forward that we need. Every other club are so progressive – and we need to be the same. We have got a good chance of delivering that now."

Wilson will be responsible for helping to plot the club's medium to long-term strategy as well as development and recruitment across the men's, women's and academy teams.

It will fall to the Scot, for example, to take the lead on player contracts, with Kieran Trippier and Fabian Schar among those who are entering the final months of their deals.

Wilson has already met department heads as well as players and staff – but it is a little early for transfer summits just yet.

"I think I'll let him sit down first in his new surroundings before bombarding him with that," Howe said.

Josh Lobley
BBC Sport Journalist

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Brighton at Amex Stadium (kick-off 15:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Howe confirmed that every player has returned from the international break OK. There was a "little concern" around Joelinton, but he seems to be OK.

• Elsewhere in the squad, Yoane Wissa is back training on the grass for the first time but the timeline of his return has not changed. Jacob Ramsay has trained well and Howe expects him to be in the squad on Saturday.

• Lewis Hall had a second scan on his injury, which Howe described as "positive" and he is expected to return to action before the November international break.

• On newly appointed sporting director Ross Wilson: "The first impressions of him and his work have been very good. He is a really good person and has fitted in really well so far. I am sure he can make a huge difference."

• Howe was asked about his level of involvement in the appointment, to which he said he was neither "totally away" or "heavily involved".

• On Saturday's opponents: "It is a team that we always have tough games against; they are well managed and coached and have some very good players in their squad. I thought we played well at their place last year, one of our better away performances, and that point ended up being so valuable for us."

• Howe isn't aware of any contract talks with players like Sandro Tonali, Tino Livramento and Sven Botman, adding that the club were waiting for Ross Wilson's arrival as he will lead talks.

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Image source, Getty Images

Ex-Newcastle defender Steve Howey says his former club have a decision to make over Yoane Wissa's participation at the Africa Cup of Nations in January.

The Congolese striker is yet to make his debut for the Magpies since signing in the summer for £55m from Brentford.

He did however play two games for his country during the September international window, suffering a knee injury that seems set to keep him out until next month.

Congo's first game at Afcon is on Tuesday, 23 December.

"He will have a rough idea of what he wants to do but situations change," Howey told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"It could be that he gets a few games under his belt and he might just decide he wants to stay here and do some extra training."

Boss Eddie Howe will likely be asked for an update on Wissa's fitness in his news conference on Friday morning.

Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson is certain to feature on a long list of summer transfer targets for Newcastle, who are keen to bring the 22-year-old England international back to the north east. (Mail - subscription required), external

Want more transfer news? Read Friday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Ciaran Kelly
Newcastle United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

The transfer window may be shut, but Newcastle United made a significant addition last week in the form of sporting director Ross Wilson, who arrived from Nottingham Forest.

The club had been operating without such a crucial figure since Paul Mitchell's departure back in June.

Mitchell's exit was the latest chapter in a period of boardroom upheaval stretching back 18 months.

Former owners Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi moved on; Dan Ashworth, who was Mitchell's predecessor, left to take up a role at Manchester United; and chief executive officer (CEO) Darren Eales had to step down after being diagnosed with chronic form of blood cancer.

However, just a few weeks after David Hopkinson's arrival as CEO, Wilson has followed.

It felt instructive that the Scot spoke about how the "trust, cohesion and alignment we're building already feels strong" in his opening remarks.

Following so much change, upstairs, Newcastle need a period of stability as Wilson helps plot the club's medium to long-term strategy.

Ciaran Kelly
Newcastle United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Did the international break come at a bad time for Newcastle United?

The Magpies had rediscovered some momentum after recording back-to-back wins for the first time since April.

Eddie Howe's side had previously struggled to find the back of the net, but defeated Nottingham Forest and Union Saint-Gilloise by an aggregate scoreline of 6-0 before a host of key players jetted off to represent their countries.

That being said, this has been a productive period for a number of the club's senior internationals.

Anthony Gordon impressed for England, Bruno Guimaraes grabbed a couple of eye-catching assists for Brazil and Nick Woltemade opened his account for Germany.

The challenge faced by the trio, and others, is to quickly recover and take such form into Saturday's trip to Brighton.

This has long been an awkward fixture for Newcastle, who have never won at the Amex in the Premier League in eight visits.

The visitors cannot afford a sluggish start if they are to get something from the south coast.

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Image source, Getty Images

The Premier League table is starting to take shape and while results are obviously what matter most, they don't tell the whole story in terms of how teams have been playing so far.

Expected goals (xG) tells us how much teams have been dominating games by creating lots of good chances up front and restricting opponents to few, bad ones at the back.

Penalties are excluded because they distort a team's numbers on how threatening or vulnerable they are in general, especially at this early stage.

Below is a graphic showing how good teams have been in attack and defence, with the most dominant teams in the top-right corner and the least impressive in the bottom-left corner.

Arsenal and Manchester City have been the most dominant sides, with the Gunners having the best defence and fourth-best attack and City the joint-best attack and fourth-best defence.

High-flying Crystal Palace are the only side to rival City's attacking threat, while Newcastle are living up to their name by being almost as impregnable at the back as Arsenal.

Both Manchester United and Chelsea have one of the top five attacks in the league but worryingly also rank in the bottom five defensively.

• Find and follow your Premier League club on BBC Sport

Liverpool's back-to-back defeats following five straight wins gives a more accurate picture of how they have been playing, while Tottenham have needed to be very efficient to make up for their lack of dominance in games.

Aston Villa's early-season struggles are no longer to do with finishing - they have now scored six non-penalty goals from an xG of 6.0 - but simply because they have not been playing well.

While promoted sides Leeds and Sunderland have adapted quite well to the top-flight, Burnley have struggled to make the jump so far with both the worst attack and the worst defence.

Read more on what expected goals tell us about the start to the season

Image source, Getty Images

Newcastle United forward Anthony Gordon believes he will need to perform at club level as well as for England if he is to secure his place in Thomas Tuchel's squad for next summer's World Cup.

Gordon opened the scoring in Riga on Tuesday, as England confirmed their qualification by hitting five goals past Latvia.

"My last three performances have been my best for England," Gordon told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast. "But I can't rest on that, I still feel like I can do more.

"I could have scored two goals in this match and got an assist or two, so if I want to be an elite, world-level winger then I've got more to do.

"I'm not scared of competition at all - it pushes me to be better. It's more something that I cherish."

Gordon is aware that being picked for the travelling squad is one thing, but securing a starting XI spot will be another - with the likes of Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka providing competition in that area of the pitch.

When asked what it would mean to represent England at the World Cup, Gordon replied: "Everything. Every young lad in England dreams of playing in the World Cup, so there's not many words you can use to describe that feeling.

"The hard work starts back at club level. I'm not lost on the competition or the fact that being successful in the qualifiers means I'm going to end up playing. That's definitely not the case.

"I need to go back to Newcastle, perform and get into the next camp."

Listen to BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast on BBC Sounds

Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, 33, has made it clear he has no plans to leave the club despite attracting interest from clubs including Newcastle United and Manchester United. (Diario AS - in Spanish, external)

New sporting director Ross Wilson will lead an audit into the contract situation of the club's top players to try and head off a repeat of the transfer saga that led to Sweden striker Alexander Isak joining Liverpool. (The I - subscription required), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Charlotte Robson
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

This month marks four years since Newcastle United was taken over by a consortium of the Saudi Public Investment Fund, the Reuben brothers, and PCP Capital Partners, so it feels like a great time to reflect on how it has all been going.

On the pitch, we have had an amazing time. Two seasons in the Champions League, plus finally winning a trophy, plus seeing some of the best players in the world in our squad. No complaints here.

Off the pitch? Slightly more tumultuous.

What has been great about the past four years is the stability that Eddie Howe has brought. Yes, we have been through two sporting directors, a chief executive has stepped down and one third of our purchasing consortium has left their post as director of the club... but we've kept the same head coach throughout.

So it was pleasant that at the weekend the club announced the appointment of Ross Wilson from Nottingham Forest to the sporting director role vacant since Paul Mitchell left in May.

Couple this with the appointment of David Hopkinson as chief executive last month and we are almost in a, dare I say, stable position behind the scenes.

A positive about Newcastle's new appointments is that these hires seem to be complementary to Howe and the way he works - for example, people keep saying Wilson is "Eddie's man".

Integrating with Howe is important to the continued success of Newcastle United on and off the pitch, because he knows what he wants to be doing, seems to be able to get it done and he understands the club and the region.

Obviously, time will tell on how successful these appointments will be, but we have got lots of positives over the past four years to happily reflect on.

Find more from Charlotte Robson at the True Faith: Newcastle United Podcast, external

Image source, Getty Images

Former Newcastle United defender John Anderson , speaking about Ross Wilson replacing Paul Mitchell as the Magpies' sporting director on BBC Radio Newcastle: "They definitely needed to get somebody in. You just hope Ross Wilson hangs on an awful lot longer than the previous ones did.

"We've had two sporting directors who didn't hang around too long, so they had to get it right this time. They had to take their time. They had to choose carefully.

"The one person with all the power at St James's Park is is Eddie Howe, and that's because he's gone and won a trophy, something that hasn't been done in such a long time.

"I'm not too sure he was on the same wavelength as the two previous incumbents. Hopefully, he will be with Ross Wilson.

"I don't think they want to be finding gems cheaply and then selling them high. They want to find gems cheaply and hold on to them. They do not want another [Alexander] Isak situation. It was really messy.

"We've got [Sven] Botman, who's got 18 months left on his contract. You want to tie your best players down - hopefully they're in negotiations to do that, but I think the Isak situation was a learning curve."

Explore Newcastle content on BBC Sounds

Another game, another goal for Newcastle's record signing Nick Woltemade.

The club record £69m signing from Stuttgart took his tally to four goals in his last five games for club and country on Monday with his first international goal in Germany's 1-0 win over Northern Ireland in a World Cup qualifier at Windsor Park.

The in-form striker has scored four times for the Magpies in all competitions since joining the club in August and found the net for his national team on his sixth appearance in Belfast.

"I'm really happy about it," Woltemade told BBC Sport NI after Germany's win.

"The last game didn't go so well for me so I was really happy today that I score. Maybe it's because I'm in the West of Europe, I score there more often!"

The 23-year-old striker is alluding to his lacklustre performance last time out for the national team against Luxembourg on Friday when Germany won 4-0.

After starting the game, Woltemade was replaced after an hour after registering only one effort on goal but he broke his international duck against Northern Ireland to seal three points for Germany.

"It was really important when you look at the table. We needed this win, it was a difficult away game, but an amazing atmosphere," he said.

"It was a hard game. A lot of long balls. A lot of duals, it was not easy. It was really difficult. They shoot the ball and cross the ball from everywhere so we always have to go on the dual, it was like 50/50 and the ball is dropping somewhere but I think we did really well."

"We knew this would be part of the game but I think we did quite good."

In Belfast, Woltemade came up against a new local rival in Sunderland's Dan Ballard but seemed somewhat disappointed at the lack of physicality the pair were allowed to engage in.

"There was no battle between us [with Dan Ballard]. I think the referee stopped us from the battle.

"It was different from the Premier League. The referee whistles a lot and gives all the time foul for each so it was not the dual I think that it should be in the Premier League."

A first international goal for Newcastle United's Nick Woltemade was enough for Germany to beat Northern Ireland 1-0 in Belfast and take another step towards automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup.

The 23-year-old got above Isaac Price from a David Raum corner and nodded past Bailey Peacock-Farrell to score the decisive goal in the 31st minute.

Following debates in Germany's local press this week about their strikers' struggles in front of goal, a first international strike for Woltemade will have been encouraging for manager Julian Nagelsmann.

Did you know?

• Woltemade is only the second Newcastle United player to score for Germany after Dietmar Hamann in March 1999, which was also in an away victory over Northern Ireland.

Newcastle United will consider letting forward William Osula leave on loan in January - but only if all their other striking options are fit. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest's chief football officer Ross Wilson is set to become Newcastle's new sporting director.

A deal has been agreed for Wilson to move to St James' Park to replace Paul Mitchell.

The former Tottenham sporting director lasted less than 12 months with the Magpies having replaced Dan Ashworth.

There was also interest from Newcastle in former Arsenal assistant sporting director Jason Ayto, who has since joined Brighton.

Wilson also has a close relationship with Newcastle boss Eddie Howe.

The 41-year-old joined Forest in 2023, replacing Filippo Giraldi, and has helped the club into Europe for the first time in 30 years.

Under Wilson, Forest broke their transfer record several times, with Omari Hutchinson's £37.5m move from Ipswich this summer their current record.

Wilson also oversaw big outgoings, with Anthony Elanga joining Newcastle in a record sale worth £60m this summer - Forest having signed him for £15m in 2023 - while Brennan Johnson was sold to Tottenham in a deal worth over £45m.

Wilson was previously sporting director at Rangers and director of football operations at Southampton.

Karan Vinod
BBC Sport journalist

Newcastle United's Malick Thiaw has made a positive first impression on Tyneside.

The 24-year-old summer signing has started three consecutive Premier League games and shown glimpses of why he was so highly rated during his time in Italy.

Across these three full appearances, Thiaw's per-90-minute numbers provide an encouraging snapshot of his abilities, albeit given this is a small sample size, it is too early to draw definitive conclusions.

One of the most eye-catching statistics so far is his 2.64 interceptions per 90, which currently leads the Premier League. It points to a defender who reads the game exceptionally well, positioning himself proactively to break up play before danger materialises.

In addition, his 4.29 possessions won per 90 minutes suggests that Thiaw offers more than just last-ditch defending. This is potentially a player comfortable stepping into midfield to take control - a trait that aligns with his ability to also operate as a defensive midfielder - and something Eddie Howe values highly in his aggressive press.

The 3.96 aerial duels won figure reinforces his physical presence. In a league where aerial dominance remains a key defensive asset, this early number bodes well. Meanwhile, his overall duels won (5.6) reflects a willingness to engage directly with opponents.

The one area that may warrant attention is his tackle success rate of 16.5%. Whether this is due to adjusting to the pace of the Premier League or simply a result of a limited dataset is unclear. Defensive metrics can vary significantly over small periods and it's worth bearing that in mind before making broader judgments.

It should be stressed that these are early days. Thiaw has only completed three full league matches, and while the signs are positive, consistency and context will tell us more over time.

Image source, Getty Images

The final part of our Q&A with BBC Sport's Newcastle United reporter Ciaran Kelly focuses on contract clauses and expiry dates.

John asked: Is there a buy-back clause in Elliot Anderson's contract?

Ciaran answered: No, which is a reflection of the dire situation Newcastle were in when they sold Anderson to Nottingham Forest.

Such was Newcastle's predicament in June 2024, the club had to dash to raise funds to avoid a breach of PSR rules and a subsequent points deduction.

Forest, as a result, were in a strong negotiating position - not only to sell back-up goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos to Newcastle, but also to ensure the club could not simply re-sign Anderson for a set price down the line.

It proved an inspired piece of business for the City Ground club and Anderson is certainly worth a lot more than the £35m the Reds paid for him, having since become a full England international.

Though it was a wrench for Anderson to leave his boyhood club, the midfielder would not have had the same opportunities at Newcastle, where Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton have locked down the starting positions in the middle of the park.

But the Magpies have not closed the door on a reunion one day.

Howe is not one for talking about other players, but it felt telling that he made an exception last week when the Newcastle head coach said he would "love" to have Anderson back at St James' Park.

Image source, Getty Images

And finally, Alvin asked: What are the plans for our older players who are out of contract next summer (Nick Pope, Fabian Schar, Kieran Trippier, Jamaal Lascelles and Emil Krafth)? And those players whose deals expire in 2027 (Sven Botman, Dan Burn, Jacob Murphy and Joe Willock)?

Ciaran answered: This will be near the top of the new sporting director's in-tray and one of the many reasons that is such an important appointment for Newcastle United.

Eddie Howe's focus has understandably been on the games and ensuring his side navigate an intense schedule.

Having already appointed a new CEO in David Hopkinson, who will be concentrated more on the commercial and business side, Newcastle will need an additional figure to look ahead and plot the club's medium to long-term strategy.

Whether it is Nottingham Forest chief football officer Ross Wilson who comes in, or not, Newcastle will take each contract situation on a case-by-case basis and Howe will be conscious not to upset a tight-knit dressing room with sweeping changes.

Keeping hold of Pope, Schar and Trippier, therefore, feels like a no-brainer at the moment.

While the trio's wages would obviously be taken into consideration, Newcastle would also have to factor in the cost of replacing such important players if they lost them for nothing.

The 2027 situations do not feel quite so urgent in comparison, given how each new contract has a knock-on effect on the club's PSR position.

But Newcastle will not want to find themselves in a potentially vulnerable situation where, say, Botman only has 12 months left on his deal in the summer, if the Dutchman stays fit and maintains his current run of form.

Image source, Getty Images

In the second part of our special Q&A with Newcastle United reporter Ciaran Kelly, we focus on two questions about off-the-field matters.

John asked: Where do Newcastle stand in terms of Profit and Sustainability Rules for January?

Ciaran answered: Newcastle should - at the very least - have a little more headroom than last January, when they were effectively unable to recruit because of the club's PSR position at the time.

Revenues are set to increase from £320.3m to upwards of £400m when the club's accounts from the previous campaign are released later this season.

Though about £100m net was spent on signings in the summer, it is worth noting that Newcastle made a substantial profit on each of the players they sold - namely Alexander Isak, Sean Longstaff and Lloyd Kelly.

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire previously likened Isak's £125m move to Liverpool to Jack Grealish "digging Aston Villa out of a problem for three years" following his £100m switch to Manchester City in 2021.

"Newcastle were out of the woods, in my view, from a PSR point of view," Maguire said last month. "But this will certainly help them satisfy the Uefa squad cost rule because player sale profits go into the equation when you work out your 70% wages to revenue line. That will allow them to reinvest very well."

Of course, Newcastle have already replaced Isak by spending £69m on Nick Woltemade and £55m on Yoane Wissa.

And the club have tended to always do the bulk of their business in the summer because January is a difficult window to strengthen in.

There have been some notable exceptions - Anthony Gordon's mid-season move in 2023, for instance - but it still feels a little early to foresee what Newcastle could do in January.

Image source, Getty Images

Dave asked: What is happening with the new training ground and stadium? Are there any credible timelines?

Ciaran answered: A lot of fans are wondering the same thing.

Though Newcastle have been granted planning permission to extend and renovate their current training base at Benton, they have been working on identifying a new site for a future state-of-the-art facility for some time.

That work is ongoing so it is hard to gauge timeframes yet for the training ground or, indeed, the stadium, regardless of whether Newcastle build a new arena or transform St James' Park.

Senior figures have repeatedly stressed they want to take time to make the right decision rather than rushing into something only to later learn an alternative scheme could have had a greater impact.

A Newcastle City Council spokesman, again, reiterated that no planning application has been received to develop on Leazes Park, or anywhere else in the city, for a new stadium - or for a revamped St James'.

"If a planning application is submitted, it will be assessed through the statutory planning process, which includes public engagement," he said.

"As with all planning applications, consideration is given to potential environmental impact. Any application from the club would be treated in the same way as any other application."

Come back later on for the third and final part of the Q&A, which is all about player contracts...