Newcastle ace Nick Woltemade’s shirt number explained after snubbing Alexander Isak chance

Newcastle made Nick Woltemade their club-record signing in the summer, but the German chose not to take on the famous 9 shirt – instead choosing a tribute to his mother

Newcastle’s new frontman Nick Woltemade chose to take the No. 27 shirt as a tribute to his mother, whose birthday matches that number. The German ultimately opted to snub the opportunity to assume the famous No. 9 shirt at St James’ Park.

Whilst wearing his new colours, Woltemade made the perfect start on Saturday as the summer signing headed home within half an hour. He scored what proved to be the winning goal as the Magpies downed Wolves 1-0 for their first win of the new season.

Last term, the 23-year-old wore the No. 11 shirt whilst at Stuttgart and was ultimately signed to replace Alexander Isak – who has the No. 9 shirt at Liverpool – on Tyneside.

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The Swede had worn the No. 9 whilst playing for Newcastle, but the German didn’t have any interest in taking on the shirt that had also been donned by club icon Alan Shearer – instead prioritising a tribute for his family tribute, reports the Athletic.

The shirt number 27 had been vacant since 2022 and has no major pedigree at Newcastle.

Woltemade’s decision did allow Yoane Wissa, who was signed from Brentford on deadline day, to take the No. 9 as he looks to work in tandem with his fellow new arrivals in the final third for Newcastle.

Eddie Howe, who had to deal with questions regarding Isak and Newcastle’s difficult transfer window all summer, was thrilled to see his new signing begin with a debut goal.

He said at the weekend: “We needed to win today. There was a lot of love for Nick (after the game) and a lot of pats on the back. The group are really good at doing that, when someone does well.

“It was a great moment for Nick. I was very pleased with how he played. You saw his technical qualities and his intelligence. But most importantly for a striker, when the ball comes into the box, you need to be there – and he was. It was a great finish.

“I’m really pleased for him personally because that just settles him down and relaxes him. He’s a very humble guy, he wants to do well and he’s delighted to be here. I think it’s a great start.”

Newcastle’s move for Woltemade came as a surprise after they’d been turned down by a number of their targets. Joao Pedro and Bryan Mbeumo were both on the club’s radar but they decided to join Chelsea and Manchester United respectively.

The Magpies moved for Benjamin Sesko and made a bid before United, but the Slovenian chose to pursue a move to Old Trafford when they came to the party, leaving Howe to look elsewhere.

It is understood that Woltemade was not even a priority target in July – that was largely because Newcastle thought Stuttgart would not sell, having rejected three offers from Bayern Munich, not because they were not huge admirers.

Shearer gave Woltemade, the club’s new record-signing, the seal of approval as he hailed his goal on social media. “What a cross and an even better header,” he wrote on X.

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