Former England midfielder Joe Cole has claimed that Newcastle United’s capture of Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa has put them “in a better position” than they were last season when they had Alexander Isak.
An encouraging performance at St James’ Park saw the Magpies beat Benfica 3-0 in the Champions League league phase on Tuesday night, with Eddie Howe’s side benefitting from improved squad depth as substitute Harvey Barnes scored a brace to wrap up a potentially pivotal result.
And Cole alluded to that squad depth when speaking on TNT Sports after the final whistle, suggesting that Newcastle may now be “in a better position than they were with Isak”, especially once Yoane Wissa makes his return from injury.
“To compete on more fronts you need players who can come in. You look at the numbers they have and I think they’re in a better position,” said the former Chelsea player.
“I think this team playing on the front foot, with all their attacking options, Anthony Gordon, [Harvey] Barnes, [Jacob] Murphy, [Anthony] Elanga, the midfielders can score goals, you’ve got Woltemade, Wissa to come into this squad. To be where they’re at, playing on the front foot, seeing games out and brushing Benfica aside by the end was very impressive.”
Germany striker Woltemade played in a key role in the third goal with a superb flick providing the platform for Gordon’s assist, and the 23-year-old has hit the ground running since arriving at St James’ Park in the summer, scoring five goals in eight games so far.
And while Wissa is yet to make an appearance for his new club since joining in a £55m deal at the end of the summer transfer window due to injury, Cole believes the depth in the squad means that the Magpies are “only going to get better”.
“That’s a really impressive performance,” he explained. “That Benfica team went to Stamford Bridge and nearly got a result but Newcastle blew them out of the water.
“Eddie Howe will be delighted because all his changes worked, his subs worked, they’re sitting in the top eight of the Champions League with two wins from three and it’s all looking upwards.”
Cole also singled out goalscorer Anthony Gordon for praise, saying that he “loves” the England winger.
“I’ve admired the kid since he was at Everton,” said Cole. “I love his tenacity. Forget his ability and going by players, I look at him and think ‘I want you in my team’. He’s got that bite. He’s not taking his flowers in the interview because he’s got three goals in three because he’s like ‘I want more’. [He’s] a shoo-in for England.”
Newcastle’s win sees them move into seventh place in the league phase table with six points from their opening three matches, with their next match coming on Wednesday 5 November against Athletic Bilbao at St James’ Park.
