Tim Sherwood believes Sunderland striker Wilson Isidor is currently a better option than Newcastle’s £69 million signing Nick Woltemade.

Isidor has hit the ground running in his first Premier League campaign, already scoring three times for the Black Cats — including Sunday’s late equaliser in their 1-1 draw with Aston Villa at the Stadium of Light.

By contrast, Woltemade made an immediate impact with a debut goal for Newcastle but has since struggled to build momentum. The German forward fired a blank in last weekend’s 0-0 draw with Bournemouth and was only a substitute in the Magpies’ Champions League defeat to Barcelona.

Despite Woltemade’s lofty price tag and reputation, Sherwood insists that Isidor is the striker he would pick right now.

Sherwood backs Isidor over Woltemade

Speaking on Sky Sports News, Sherwood said:

“Isidor is someone I’ve admired for a long time. Even back in the Championship, I felt he had everything needed for the Premier League. Now he’s here, scoring goals for Sunderland, and proving me right.

Three goals already — at this moment in time, you’d have to take him over Woltemade. The Newcastle lad has talent, but he’s still settling in, and he needs more game time. Isidor has the head start, and if I needed someone to win me a game tomorrow, I’d choose him.”

Praise for Sunderland and Xhaka

Sherwood also took a moment to praise Sunderland’s resilience in their draw with Villa, particularly after going down to ten men.

“Credit to Sunderland — even with a man less, they kept pushing, and that equaliser felt inevitable,” he said.

The pundit singled out Granit Xhaka for special mention, hailing the former Arsenal captain’s influence since arriving in the summer.

“Xhaka has been a fantastic signing. He hasn’t come here for a swansong, he’s giving everything to keep Sunderland in the division. That cushioned header for Isidor’s goal was top class — the awareness and precision were outstanding. He’s showing real leadership and pulling the whole squad together.”