Eddie Howe remains convinced Newcastle United will see a very different version of Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa next season, despite the expensive duo enduring a frustrating first year on Tyneside.
The Magpies committed heavily to reshaping their attack, but the returns have fallen short so far and questions have naturally started to grow around the club’s £124million investment.
Howe is still fully backing both forwards to come good after a difficult debut campaign. The Newcastle boss believes a full season of adapting to a new club, new team-mates and a different environment will leave the pair in a far stronger position heading into the next campaign.
When asked about the pair, Howe said: “They’re both outstanding players. I don’t in any way doubt their individual qualities. They’ll both be better for this season’s experience next season.
“Any signing we make, regardless of age, having a season where they fully understand everything, get used to the environment, used to their team-mates, the location that they’re living in, it’s a big change for the players.
“Next season we’ll see that all the new signings that we integrated this season will be much better for the experience.
“And, of course, then the intense focus shifts on to someone else we may have signed in the summer.
“That’s a healthy thing for them as well because you just go slightly more relaxed, and when you’re more relaxed you play better. “I believe in all those signings. They’ll come good.”
Woltemade and Wissa have both struggled to make the impact many expected, with injuries, form and selection issues all playing a part. Even so, Howe remains confident the experience of this season will help unlock much more from both players in the future.
