watering Woltemade appraisal as Guimaraes sends Isak perfect 54

Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes has shared his honest thoughts on Alexander Isak’s controversial move to Liverpool, while Barcelona boss, Hansi Flick, believes the Magpies have signed an excellent replacement.

Isak, 25, completed a British transfer record-breaking move to Anfield on deadline day, with the Reds paying £125million to get the blockbuster deal over the line.

The switch was completed following a lengthy saga that saw Isak refuse to train or play for Newcastle, which destroyed his relationship with Magpies manager Eddie Howe.

Guimaraes, 27, a fan favourite at St James’ Park and one of Newcastle’s most important players, believes the club are in a good place despite losing their top talisman from last season.

“I think football is business. I think the club made a choice, he’s gone,” the Brazilian midfielder said in a recent interview.

“I wish him all the best and I’m grateful for everything we achieved together, but it’s not time to look at the past, it’s time to look to the future, to look at the game [v Barcelona], and we are very satisfied.”

Newcastle face Barcelona in their Champions League opener tonight (September 18) and new forward signing Nick Woltemade, who arrived on Tyneside from Stuttgart for around £70million, is expected to start the game, and Barca boss Hansi Flick is a big fan…

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Nick Woltemade WILL be Germany’s No 9 – Hansi Flick

Newcastle only allowed Isak to leave after they signed Woltemade to replace him. They also brought in Yoane Wissa from Brentford for around £55million to further fill the void.

Wissa, however, is sidelined until next month with a knee injury, which means Woltemade is likely to play up front against Barcelona this evening.

The 23-year-old, who was also wanted by Bayern Munich and Everton over the summer, got his Newcastle career off to the perfect start by scoring on his Premier League debut against Wolves.

Now, Barcelona manager Flick has said that he expects Woltemade to lead the line for the German national team for many years to come.

“To be honest, I didn’t know [Woltemade] all that well. I followed some matches, I saw some matches, so I was really surprised about how he increased his level.

““I followed some matches, I saw some matches, so I was really surprised about how he increased his level. And of course, I think here in Premier League, it’s a good option for every club, so I’m happy [for him].

“We’ll see how he improves and I think he has a lot of potential to improve. Of course in the Premier League he will have to improve to play day by day, and this is the most important thing.

“I’m really happy with Germany. We now have a really good No. 9, and it’s good for all of us.”

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