'He can be special' - Woltemade needed as Newcastle fans turn on Isak

Alexander Isak was nowhere to be seen. Obviously. But Newcastle United's high-profile absentee did not escape the away end's wrath at Elland Road.

"We don't care about Isak," they chanted during Saturday's goalless draw at Leeds United. "He don't care about me, all we care about is NUFC."

What a contrast to the reception record signing Nick Woltemade was given.

The new arrival was mobbed by supporters gathered outside as he made his way into the stadium before the game and, on this evidence, the club will need the Germany striker to hit the ground running, particularly if Isak gets his wish and joins Liverpool before the window shuts on Monday evening.

Newcastle, after all, mustered just a couple of shots on target at Elland Road and have only scored two goals in their opening three Premier League games, picking up four points from a possible nine.

How Newcastle could have used Woltemade on Saturday, but the forward's £69m move from Stuttgart did not go through in time for him to be registered so he watched from the directors' box.

Woltemade will naturally need a "period of adjustment", but Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe has backed his qualities to "translate" to the Premier League.

"I like his different dimensions to his game," he told BBC Radio 5 Live. "Of course he's a big presence, he's a big man but he has really good technical skills and really good creative ideas around the box.

"If he was playing today he would've helped us in that respect, seeing what other players can't. He'll need a period where he adapts and he understands what we ask of him and the test the Premier League will bring him, but I think he will score goals and he'll hopefully be a fantastic addition for us."

So what can Newcastle expect?

Well, Woltemade once said he "likes to be an entertainer". How fitting, then, that the German shares his birthday with club legend Kevin Keegan.

He may have the appearance of a target man - standing at 6ft 6in - but Woltemade is not a mere battering ram. Quite the opposite, in fact.

This is a towering striker who is so technically proficient that even an opponent, Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, nicknamed him Woltemessi on account of his dribbling ability.

Few know that skillset better than Antonio di Salvo, who guided Germany to the final of the under-21 Euros last month with the help of Woltemade's six goals at the tournament.

"Nick is technically skilled despite his size and capable of playing both as a striker and a number 10," he said. "Over the past two years, he has worked hard to increase his presence on the pitch and in the penalty area, and most importantly, has significantly improved his finishing.

"He's a highly versatile player who can be deployed in various positions and poses a constant goal threat. His creativity enables him to produce unexpected moments throughout the game, making him highly unpredictable for opponents."

But this has been a story of determination much as talent.

When Woltemade was left out of Stuttgart's Champions League squad last season, for instance, on account of rules surrounding club-trained players, the striker privately vowed that his "time would come".

The prospect of Woltemade leading the line when Newcastle take on Barcelona at St James' Park next month caps a remarkable rise for a player who was on loan at German third division club SV Elversberg three and a half years ago.

Yet Woltemade never gave up.

Marco Grote had been "convinced for years that he can be a special player" after coaching Woltemade with Werder Bremen's under-19s.

But last season was when Woltemade truly became a household name in his homeland.

Working closely with Stuttgart manager Sebastian Hoeness, on the training pitch and in the video analysis room, Woltemade went on to score 17 goals in 33 games, including the opener in the German Cup final, as the centre-forward won the first major trophy of his career.

Woltemade then lit up the under-21 Euros last month and went home with the Golden Boot as Germany reached the final - only to lose 3-2 to England.

Bayern Munich felt moved enough to make several unsuccessful bids before Newcastle stumped up a club-record package of £65m plus £4m in add-ons this week.

Given the situation with Isak, and the lack of time left in the window, Newcastle had to act after seeing targets Hugo Ekitike, Benjamin Sesko and Joao Pedro move elsewhere this summer.

And there are, ironically, some parallels with Isak's arrival three years ago.

Isak was also Newcastle's most expensive signing of all time, arrived at a similar age and he did not have much time to settle, either, after joining in the final days of the window.

The Swede, though, had long been regarded as one of the continent's top prospects and, crucially, had experience of playing in several different countries.

Woltemade, by contrast, has never played outside Germany and the striker will have only had the benefit of a few training sessions with his new team-mates before his potential debut against Wolves next month.

But he is a coachable talent who could continue to flourish in the right hands.

"He understands the game," Grote said. "He works with the team and the coaches hand in hand. He wants to learn, he wants to become a better player and is ambitious. He loves the game. He has a talent but he worked hard for his development.

"Give him time - he is young, it's a new country. It is not so easy for everybody. The fee is not his responsibility, but he is diligent and professional. With patience, he is a player who can make the difference."

This is certainly a big move for Woltemade - in more ways than one - as the 23-year-old leaves his homeland for the first time.

Those who have worked with Woltemade describe him as a "family man" and the new arrival was accompanied by his parents as he was shown around St James' Park on Friday and watched his new side in action at Elland Road a day later. He even chose the number 27 in a nod to his mother's date of birth.

Those family values were apparent in the checks Newcastle carried out on Woltemade, and the new signing's character was as important to Howe as his ability to find the back of the net.

Howe, after all, is wary of disrupting a tight-knit dressing room, but Woltemade is someone who will slot right in, as Di Salvo explained.

"Nick was very popular in our team thanks to his very good, reflected, humorous and down-to-earth character," the Germany Under-21s manager said. "I often described him as a kind of magnet - someone who could bring diverse groups together.

"He was the glue that held the team together and he did this with his natural manner just because he was who he was. As a coach, I always valued him as an important contact person."

Newcastle are about to find out for themselves.