Yoane Wissa is expected to get the nod ahead of Nick Woltemade for Newcastle United’s clash with Wolves, according to reporting from The Athletic’s Chris Waugh.
In a Q&A session with supporters, Waugh explained that his “strong suspicion”, based on conversations with people around the club, is that Wissa will start.
Wissa, signed from Brentford for more than £50m, impressed for DR Congo during the international break with a goal and an assist in their 4-1 win over South Sudan. He is scheduled to arrive
back on Tyneside later this week with a second international game played on Tuesday.
Despite limited training time, Newcastle believe Wissa is ready to contribute immediately thanks to his Premier League experience. Woltemade, by contrast, is seen as a longer-term project, even if that’s within this season.
The 23-year-old has already featured for Stuttgart in three games this season and started Germany’s World Cup qualifiers, but Eddie Howe is expected to be cautious with his integration as he adapts slowly to English football.
Waugh noted that Howe could explore fielding both players together, with Woltemade operating off Wissa. However, Waugh stressed that such a tactical switch would represent a significant change with little preparation time available, and something that would see Howe deviate massively from his usual scheme.
