While the behaviour of a certain centre-forward poisoned what was meant to be a big summer for Newcastle United, there’s a reasonable argument that buying both Yoane Wissa (£7.5m) and Nick Woltemade (£7.0m) now makes them a stronger outfit.

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Of course, having a deeper squad is good for Newcastle. But does it harm both strikers from a Fantasy Premier League (FPL) perspective?

We’ll take a look during this Scout Report piece, including data and images from our Premium Members Area.

WISSA HISTORY

Aged 21, Wissa’s career began to escalate in 2017/18. Loan stints led to a permanent Lorient move, where 15 goals contributed to eventual promotion, and he scored 10 times to help stave off relegation.

Bought by Brentford in the summer after their own promotion, his initial couple of seasons were usually cameos on either wing. But, at the beginning of Ivan Toney’s long ban, he ended 2022/23 impressively as a centre-forward.

Wissa remained there for the majority of 2023/24, starting 29 times and scoring 12, before a brilliant 2024/25 brought in 185 FPL points and 19 strikes, all inside the box.

As Bryan Mbeumo (£8.1m) took the Bees’ spot kicks, it meant that Erling Haaland (£14.1m) was the only Premier League player to better his non-penalty expected goals (NPxG, 18.59 – see below image) tally. Wissa also ranked fifth for big chances (34) and sixth for putting shots on target (41).

So while Newcastle seem to have massively overpaid, the recently turned 29-year-old knows how to score goals in this league. Although a lot were in tandem with Mbeumo.

WOLTEMADE HISTORY

Wissa being ready to go takes some pressure off the inexperienced but exciting Woltemade.

Aged 23, the German had a rapid rise. Three seasons ago, he fired Elversberg from third-tier to second-tier football, before stalling at parent club Werder Bremen.

Stuttgart spotted his potential and snapped him up on a free transfer last summer, so this is a lovely, Frankfurt-like profit for Die Schwaben.

While his league record doesn’t particularly stand out, it needs context. Firstly, his additional five goals helped them win the DFB Cup. Secondly, Woltemade was a substitute for Stuttgart’s first 10 Bundesliga matches, unused five times. He wasn’t registered in their Champions League squad, either.

But the last nine months unlocked ‘Wolte-messi’, as he’s affectionately labelled.

Two goals off the bench turned December’s 0-2 Union Berlin deficit into victory, earning him a spot in their lineup. It started a run of 11 goals in 21 games, including a strike in each of their final three.

He netted a cup final opener, then went on to become the European U21 Championship’s top scorer. Also named in UEFA’s Team of the Tournament, Woltemade’s hype reached a new level, and Bayern Munich really wanted to buy it, seeing several bids rejected.

0.67 goals per 90 was one of the Bundesliga’s best rates, as was putting 50% of attempts on target. Still, the small sample size makes him a risky signing at this club-record fee.

HOW DO THEY FIT IN AT NEWCASTLE?

“He brings proven Premier League quality, demonstrated not only by his goalscoring output but also the crucial work he does for the team. Yoane’s style of play will excite our supporters and complement our style of play – he has pace, power and an excellent work rate. He immediately makes us stronger.” – Eddie Howe on Yoane Wissa

A composed finisher, Wissa has the pace to take on defenders and a work rate ideal for his new side’s tendency to press from the front.

Both Brentford and Newcastle were good at fast breaks, with the Magpies now adding the speedy Anthony Elanga (£7.0m) to their arsenal. Only two Premier League strikers recorded more 2024/25 ball carries (of at least five metres) than Wissa, yet some occasions will require his penalty area poaching.

Eddie Howe’s lot netted a league-high 13 times from open-play crosses and, madly for a 5ft 8in asset, he outscored everyone but Chris Wood (£7.7m) for headed goals last season, the latter often set up by Elanga.

Whereas the unconventional Woltemade boasts a unique skill set that defies his 6ft 6in height. In fact, only one of last season’s 17 goals (in all competitions) was a header. Of the 18 Bundesliga forwards who contested at least 100 aerial battles, 11 had a better success rate (44.7%).

Above: By comparing him to other forwards, FBref identifies Woltemade’s strengths

Instead, he loves to dribble and has a delightful first touch. So don’t judge a book by its cover.

He’s smart at dropping deep to link up play, has great vision and is more of a nine-and-a-half.

“He has this ability to dance through players at will and just be such a unique player. Sure, there are improvements to be made in terms of his hold up play, his coolness in front of goal. If Eddie Howe can get this guy moving further in the right direction then Newcastle have a very exciting player.

“Finally, one of his answers to me was ‘I like to be the entertainer’. I think that’s always exciting to hear from a football player.” – Bundesliga reporter Archie Rhind-Tutt on Nick Woltemade

It can be thrilling to watch in full flow, as lanky Woltemade’s graceful ball-carrying feet quickly capture the imagination. Especially when he pulls off a nutmeg.

He averaged 9.8 ball carries per 90 last season, alongside 2.56 open play shots per 90.

Above: Graphics from Opta Analyst, showing Woltemade’s open-play chances created (left) and non-penalty shots (right)

Callum Wilson (£5.9m) was barely fit during the last campaign, denying Howe the chance to rotate his frontmen.

Now, he can pick either Wissa or Woltemade based on Newcastle’s next opponent. Could they even play together?

“He’s strong in a lot of areas – he has great technical ability and has proven himself to be a real threat in one of Europe’s top leagues – but he’s also still at an age where he has plenty of room to develop and grow here. Nick is a great character too and we’re really pleased to welcome him to the group.” – Eddie Howe on Nick Woltemade

Whether it’s Wissa occasionally returning to his winger roots or Woltemade playing between the lines as a creative number 10, there’s optimism that they can dovetail quite nicely when required.

Newcastle’s two centre-forwards combined for 23 goals last time. We’d back this duo to reach at least that number collectively.

ARE EITHER WORTH BUYING IN FPL?

However, such depth might harm both of their Fantasy prospects.

Taking the famous number nine shirt, Wissa will likely begin as centre-forward while Woltemade adapts to his new surroundings, making him a decent short-term option.

Yet the latter is Newcastle’s club-record signing and will eventually take over, certainly by Wissa’s expected AFCON trip. Being in the Champions League complicates things further.

Cheap FPL coverage of a top team is good, but it’s still probably better for managers to stick with Joao Pedro (£7.7m), Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.5m) or Evanilson (£7.0m) instead. Possibly even Chris Wood or Jarrod Bowen (£7.8m), at least for now.