Eddie Howe: Nick Woltemade not unsettled at Newcastle, he's 'one of the lads'

Reports in Germany had claimed Woltemade was unsettled and keen on a return to the Bundesliga, with speculation linking him to Bayern Munich and his former side VfB Stuttgart.

Newcastle were angered by the claims, and Howe admitted he was concerned by the narrative developing overseas.

However, he stressed there is no possibility of the player leaving and said the club believe internally that Woltemade is settling quickly.

Images circulating on social media appeared to show the forward not fully engaged in celebrations after Anthony Gordon converted a penalty that Woltemade had wanted to take, fuelling further speculation.

Howe played down the incident and instead highlighted the striker's personality within the squad.

He revealed Woltemade is already regarded as one of the dressing room jokers.

"He's got good humour, doesn't take himself too seriously and he's one of the lads," said Howe.

"When I see reports that he's not happy, that's not the player that I'm seeing. He's looked really good on the pitch the last few games, I've been really happy with him performing at a really high level and I don't see any issues." 

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