Newcastle’s Champions League campaign got off to a disappointing start on Thursday night, and their marquee summer signing did not have much chance to impact proceedings.
Barcelona were the visitors to St. James’s Park, with the iconic stadium rocking ahead of kick-off.
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Surprisingly, Newcastle lined up without an out-and-out striker in their starting XI, with £65 million summer signing Nick Woltemade consigned to the bench despite a goal on his debut against Wolves on Saturday.
By the time Woltemade was introduced as a second-half sub, on-loan Manchester United man Marcus Rashford had put the visitors 2-0 up with a superb double.
GOAL BARCELONA
Marcus Rashford has a second and it’s a superb strike from the man on loan from Manchester United
📺https://t.co/XnOP6grnB7 #RTESport pic.twitter.com/3BxRwmFm91
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) September 18, 2025
Ultimately, it was Anthony Gordon who would get a goal back for Newcastle, but his 90th minute strike was too little, too late, and the campaign began with defeat for the Magpies.
Woltemade’s exclusion from the starting XI was the big surprise pre-match, with Newcastle having spent most of the summer chasing an ideal replacement for the wantaway Alexander Isak.
The likes of Hugo Ekitike and Joao Pedro were heavily linked with a move Tyneside before moving elsewhere, and Woltemade was certainly not the club’s first choice.
While assessing how Newcastle landed on the German striker, Richie Sadlier threw a brutal comparison to the FAI’s hunt for Stephen Kenny’s replacement.
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Richie Sadlier throws brutal FAI dig in Newcastle assessment
Ahead of Newcastle’s Champions League tie with Barcelona, RTÉ pundits Richie Sadlier and Kevin Doyle ran the rule over the club’s summer signing Nick Woltemade.
Though both were surprised to see Woltemade on the bench, Sadlier was baffled that Newcastle had spent so much on such a relatively unproven talent.
“I think this story, it’s so unusual. I’m so intrigued to see what Newcastle will get out of him,” Sadlier said.
“There’s one view you could have of him, that by the age of 22 he still hadn’t established himself as a regular anywhere in first team football at the top level.
“He only made his international debut this summer, he wasn’t in the Champions League squad of his club last season because he didn’t make the top 25 within his club. Tonight would have been his Champions League debut, and they’ve spent that amount of money on him!
“I understand the need for a striker, probably desperation kicked in the longer the window went on. We know what the situation was with Isak.
“To spend that amount of money for someone who has his football experience? I think it’s bonkers to me.
“Where he is now compared to where he was 14 months ago is astonishing at the age of 23.”
Kevin Doyle would then set Sadlier up to turn their analysis into a brutal dig at the FAI’s appointment of Heimir HallgrÃmsson as Ireland manager.
Doyle: “Listen, Eddie Howe goes on about, ‘He’s just the striker we wanted.’ But it took them about ten other centre forwards during the summer to get to this point and spend the £70 million.”
Sadlier: “It smells of Marc Canham saying Heimir HallgrÃmsson was the number one target all along. It has that smell.”
Doyle: “It has a bit of that about it!”
It’s hard to argue, with the FAI’s prolonged search for Stephen Kenny’s replacement ending in HallgrÃmsson emerging somewhat from left field as the man for the job.
Newcastle will hope to revive their Champions League campaign in a fortnight’s time, when they travel to Belgium to face Union St. Giloise.
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