Newcastle bring gold to ‘returning’ star

Eddie Howe will have been equally frustrated and pleased with his Newcastle United side after Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea in the Premier League at lunchtime.

However, it was definitely a step up from their lackluster performance in the Tyne Wear derby against Sunderland, when the Magpies took a two-goal lead at half-time.

Unfortunately, former Newcastle transfer candidate Joao Pedro equalized in the dying seconds of Enzo Maresca’s comeback, meaning Howe’s hosts had to settle for a share of the points at the final whistle.

Still, Nick Woltemade would have been overjoyed with his individual performance, as his own goal in a tense showdown at the Stadium of Light was quickly pushed aside by the blitz goal he managed to pick up against the Blues.

Walte Maid’s Redemption vs Chelsea

The tall German stole the show with his double in the first half and the former Stuttgart goal machine, who became public enemy number one against the Black Cats, must have been overjoyed to hear the final whistle.

The Bremen-born threat has scored just one goal in his last eight Premier League games and will be hoping to return to his best form at St James’ Park and provide inspiration ahead of the clash against the West Londoners.

Yet, despite falling into a patch of poor form, Woltemade made 23 appearances for Newcastle and went on to score an impressive nine goals, more than justifying his £69m price tag when in top form for Howe and Co.

Woltemade will only hope to see more consistency with one of his attacking team-mates against Chelsea, reinforcing his tag as perhaps a better signing than the more expensive German despite being hit-or-miss on Tyneside.

Newcastle star with better contract than Walte Maid

Given the amount he will cost, which was a record fee for the Toon, Newcastle will be hoping Waltemade can achieve his lethal heights on a more regular basis.

But he’s only human, and Anthony Gordon, who has partnered the 6-foot-6 shooter so often this season, has also seen his performance level drop worryingly at this stage of the season.

In fact, the former Everton winger was even accused by one analyst of entering “Gabriel Aubertan territory” when he was deep in a patch of poor form. He was particularly unsuccessful on Tyneside following his big move from Manchester United, with goals or assists heading for an alarming zero in the first seven Premier League games of the season.

He was also heavily criticized for failing to register a single shot on goal for Robin Roofs from his unforgettable 22 touches after the disastrous defeat to Sunderland. But more than redeeming himself against Chelsea, he reminded everyone at St James’ Park why they once spent a whopping £45 million to sign him from the Toffees.

After all, for £24 million less than the former Bundesliga star, Newcastle managed to sign a talent who boasts an astonishing 55 goals for the club. The lofty German gave the hosts the lead by assisting Voltemade’s second goal of the day.

Sky Sports’ Andy Sixsmith also declared that Gordon was “well and truly back to his best” against the Blues, and his “tireless” work was evident as he won five meetings.

Furthermore, if Gordon can continue his strong recovery, it cannot be ruled out that he could be sold for a huge sum in the future. The Liverpool-born attacker, who was once on the Reds’ shopping list, could be sold for a reported £100m.

On the flip side, Waltemaid is already a much-loved figure at Thun, with the aforementioned Sixsmith boldly calling his link-up play ‘fascinating’, but with Transfermarkt valuing him at around £61m, it could be argued that Newcastle may have overpaid a bit for his services.

Gordon will be praying that the gung-ho winger, who was Newcastle’s “best player” on the day according to Howe, can move on from his poor performance this season. Given what he has given the Toon since leaving Goodison Park, he could be seen as an even better pick-up player than the much-talked-about Woltemade.