Nick Woltemade was an unused substitute against Brighton & Hove Albion, and the omission sparked another round of questions about where he fits at Newcastle. Eddie Howe's response was direct: the £69million record signing from Stuttgart is not being pushed aside, he is being developed and kept in the picture.

Why Howe is backing Woltemade

Howe said Woltemade's reaction to not playing was normal, not a sign of a deeper problem. "Nick's fine, I think that is a natural reaction," he said. "I think if you looked at any player who didn't come on the pitch, there will always be a sense of disappointment as everyone wants to play."

That is also why Howe pushed back on the noise around the striker. "I really value and really like him, we are working really hard with him to help him. We will continue to develop his game, and I think he's got a really bright future here," he said.

The numbers suggest this is less about a player disappearing and more about a reduced role. Woltemade has played 30 Premier League matches this season, scored 7 goals and managed just 15 minutes in Newcastle's most recent league outing. Howe also said his last Premier League start in his preferred centre-forward role came back in January.

Why the selection calls keep going against him

Howe has not hidden the reason other forwards are getting the nod. "Other players have taken on the mantle of playing no.9 and in my opinion, done that really well, whether that was Will Osula or Anthony Gordon," he said.

Osula backed that up in the 3-1 win over Brighton, scoring his seventh goal of the season. Yoane Wissa was not part of the brief, but Howe's point was clear enough, the players handling the no.9 job now are giving him reasons to keep Woltemade on the bench.

Howe also said he always wants to do what is right for the team and only makes selections to get a positive result. That fits the way Newcastle are approaching things in the run-in, with the club sitting 13th in the Premier League and facing Nottingham Forest next on 10 May 2026.

The fee debate will keep floating around, because Woltemade arrived as Newcastle's record signing at £69million from Stuttgart last summer. But the stronger reading from Howe's comments is not that the club have already made up their mind on the striker, only that he has to win back a central role like everyone else. For now, the message is patience, not exile.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →