Newcastle Midfielder Deems Apology ‘Insufficient’

NEWCASTLE: Newcastle United’s Nick Woltemade has stated that he does not accept the apology offered by Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes. The incident in question involved an alleged elbow to Woltemade’s face during a celebration at St James’ Park.

The German forward expressed his concerns about potentially dangerous plays and a lack of proper conduct within the Premier League.

Woltemade, who made a high-profile move to Newcastle this summer from VfB Stuttgart for £65 million, had previously given Eddie Howe’s team the lead with a header in the 34th minute.

Replays showed Gabriel’s arm making contact with Woltemade after the Brazilian secured Arsenal’s 2-1 victory with a goal in stoppage time.

Neither the match officials nor VAR intervened during the game, and Gabriel reportedly informed teammates that he was pushed, leading to the contact.

Following the match, the Newcastle midfielder provided a detailed account of the incident, suggesting that Gabriel’s actions were intentional and avoidable, and not in keeping with the spirit of the game.

“After the goal, there was a situation where I felt his elbow make contact with my face from close range. However, I am not the type of player to exaggerate or fall easily. It presents a challenge because sometimes it may be necessary, but this approach is inconsistent with my style of play,” Woltemade stated.

The 23-year-old mentioned that Gabriel had apologized afterward but emphasized that it was inadequate, arguing that apologies do not justify potentially harmful actions.

“He apologized subsequently, but I disagree with this approach. If questionable actions occur during the game, a quick apology does not suffice,” the midfielder asserted.

Arsenal’s manager, Arteta, responded that he had not witnessed the incident when asked about it post-match.

Earlier in the match, the controversy somewhat overshadowed an eventful game where Mikel Merino had equalized for Arsenal in the 84th minute before Gabriel’s decisive header secured a comeback victory, leaving Newcastle stunned in front of their supporters.

Newcastle will aim to quickly regroup as they seek to reduce the increasing gap between themselves and the upper positions in the Premier League standings.