Another Woltemade: Newcastle hold talks over signing “phenomenal” £40m CF
Newcastle United are now in the top half of the Premier League table as a crucial January continues to chug along.
Eddie Howe has come out to state that the Toon’s start to the year is “season-defining”, with a mammoth nine games heading their way in all competitions, as another EFL Cup final potentially waits on the horizon.
Howe would have been delighted by the performance against Crystal Palace to kickstart 2026 with a comfortable 2-0 victory, but he will know his squad could still do with some improvements here and there, with the transfer window now back open for business.
Newcastle United looking at striker deal
With Sandro Tonali struggling to hit the grand heights expected of him this season, it’s no great shock to see that the Toon are planning to bring in midfield reinforcements in January.
The incessant rumour at St James’ Park at the moment revolves around Newcastle preparing to go all out to snap up AZ Alkmaar sensation Kees Smit, with a wild £52m valuation above the in-demand Dutchman’s head.
It’s not just centrally where Newcastle could look to add in additional bits of quality, though, with a new development no doubt piquing the Toon’s interest.
Back in the summer, it was heavily reported that the Magpies had bid a whopping £50m for Jorgen Strand Larsen’s services, with the Wolverhampton Wanderers marksman fresh off a goal-heavy campaign in the Premier League.
Now, however, with the Nordic striker’s reputation taking a battering at Molineux this season, TEAMtalk is reporting that Larsen could be available for a discounted £40m, with Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace, Everton, and Fulham all informed about the situation at hand.
Newcastle are also being kept up to date during talks regarding his cheaper availability, with Howe potentially winning another Nick Woltemade-style figure if the lofty centre-forward does desert the West Midlands for a chance at top-flight redemption on Tyneside.
How Strand Larsen is another Woltemade in the making
Immediately, the similarities are apparent when taking in their ginormous frames, with Larsen coming in at an imposing 6-foot-4 when powering through on goal.
Woltemade does have him beaten in this department, standing at a remarkable 6-foot-7, but, when weighing up the Wolves number nine’s debut season in the Premier League, next to the Bremen-born menace’s current potent campaign, the similarities are also clear for all to see in their shared goalscoring prowess.
Larsen’s debut PL numbers vs Woltemade’s
Stat
Larsen
Woltemade
Games played
35
17
Goals scored
14
7
Assists
4
1
Goalscoring frequency
186 mins
180 mins
Goal conversion %
26%
27%
Big chances missed
13
6
Big chances created
6
1
Stats by Sofascore
Looking at the table above, the numbers are eerily similar, with Woltemade surely in line to notch up 14 Premier League goals himself this season, if he can keep his blistering Toon stay up.
The table above is enough, though, to make Newcastle consider a £40m move for Larsen in January, even if he has just one league goal next to his name this season, with his finishing ability lauded as “phenomenal” last campaign by his ex-Old Gold boss Vitor Pereira, firing a goal home every 186 minutes.
It could just be that Larsen needs a change of scenery to get back to his best, having been plunged into a depressing relegation battle at Molineux, with his overall style of play – away from being a focal point with goals – also suiting Howe’s set-up.
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Indeed, although Woltemade has garnered a lot of praise this season so far for his “ridiculous” finishing ability – as he was once labelled by journalist Zach Lowy – he has also stood out for his general hold-up play, with the towering striker’s nous to find his teammates up top such as Harvey Barnes with ease even being heralded as “mesmerising” to watch by Sky Sports’ Andy Sixsmith.
The German’s perfectly timed backheel against Benfica in October would set Barnes on his way to slotting a chance home, with Larsen also known to be a selfless performer in trying to tee up his Wolves teammates, when at his Molineux peak, as seen in him creating six big chances last season.
Newcastle royalty in Alan Shearer has even praised Larsen’s hold-up play as “excellent”, with journalist Liam Keen also noting that the Scandinavian is “very strong” in holding off opposition defenders, before calmly playing a pass.
It’s a steep amount to fork out on a player who has seen his Wolves career fall to the wayside, but Woltemade cost a bomb, too, at £69m, as another £40m is possibly dropped soon.
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