The 2025 summer transfer window was a crazy period for Newcastle United. Eddie Howe’s side lost their star player, Alexander Isak, at the 11th hour, and whilst they had already replaced him with Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa, it took them some time to land their new pair of number nines.

The two strikers were not the only additions the Magpies made in the summer, but they were arguably the most important. With Isak and Callum Wilson leaving, there was certainly a need to add quality depth up front to combat the loss of their former strikers.

Whilst Wissa is yet to play a game due to injury, Woltemade has really hit the ground running.

How Woltemade and Isak’s Newcastle starts compare

There was always going to be lots of pressure on German striker Woltemade. The former Stuttgart star was a target for Bayern Munich too, but Newcastle ended up paying a club-record fee of £69m to secure his services.

However, it has been a fast start to life in the Premier League for the 23-year-old.

He’s only played four Premier League games so far, but has already bagged three goals in that time, including a strike on his debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Interestingly, that is the exact same start that Isak had in that famous Black and White shirt. In the same number of Premier League games, the Swede had bagged three goals, which included a strike on his debut.

To build on that even further, they both scored on their debut, a game in which both players came off the bench. They didn’t find the back of the net on their second appearance, but in the two that followed, each of the strikers scored.

There are certainly some interesting parallels between Woltemade and Isak’s first four games as a Newcastle player.

Despite Bayern’s honorary president, Uli Hoeness, suggesting the German “isn’t worth” the money they spent – having also been criticised by Karl-Heinz Rummenigge for their ‘idiotic’ deal – he’s made a fast start to life at St James’ Park.

“I can only congratulate them in Stuttgart for finding, so to speak, an idiot who would pay that much money, because we certainly wouldn’t have done that”, said Rummenigge last month.

However, the same cannot be said for another of their summer signings, who hasn’t performed at his best yet.

Newcastle’s summer signing who has struggled

Moving to a club the size of Newcastle is always going to be a challenge, especially after the PIF takeover back in 2021. Yet, Woltemade seems to have dealt with that pressure well, and Magpies fans will be hoping he can continue that form.

One of their summer signings hasn’t quite hit the ground running in the same way. Anthony Elanga, the Magpies’ “mega money” signing, as Statman Dave put it, has certainly not found his best form at St James’ Park yet.

Elanga cost the North Eastern giants £55m this summer, a fee which Jamie O’Hara said was an “inflated valuation” of the Swedish star.

Indeed, in ten games so far for the club, the former Manchester United academy graduate is yet to score or set up a goal. He did pick up the player of the match award in the Champions League, gameweek two.

Yet, the winger certainly has lots to offer his new club, despite the slow start he’s made in that famous Black and White shirt. He was excellent for Forest last season, racking up 17 goals and assists in 38 top-flight games.

That included this sublime solo effort against Man United.

On top of that, his underlying numbers from last term highlight his quality.

For example, Elanga averaged 1.8 chances created and made 3.2 ball recoveries per 90 minutes, showing how good he is both on and off the ball.

Goals and assists

0.7

17

Chances created

1.8

49

Take-ons completed

0.9

25

Fouls won

1.7

47

Ball recoveries

89

3.2

So far, Elanga has not lived up to the huge price tag that Newcastle spent on him, with there perhaps a feeling that the club and PIF might have overpaid, considering his current market value only rests at €42m (£36m), as per Transfermarkt.

Certainly, though, Newcastle fans will be hoping the Swede’s Magpies career can take more of an upward trend and he can start chipping in with goal involvement.