At 02:45 on September 8th Beijing time, during the second round of Group A in the European World Cup qualifiers, Germany played Northern Ireland at home. Germany struggled throughout the game, but Gnabry, Amiri, and Wirtz scored to lead Germany to a 3-1 win, ending their streak of three defeats and stopping the downward trend.

German football is declining, and currently the team’s main striker, number 9, is Newcastle’s new signing, Waldschmidt. This German forward has started both World Cup qualifier matches but appeared completely out of form and disconnected. Why should Bayern thank Newcastle? Waldschmidt was originally Bayern’s preferred backup for Kane, but Newcastle paid an outrageous €55 million premium to snatch him away, and his true ability has proven to be disappointing.

Waldschmidt, 23 years old, standing 1.98 meters tall, is a right-footed center forward. His transfer market value is €30 million, yet Newcastle paid a staggering €85 million transfer fee plus an additional €5 million to Stuttgart, with a maximum premium of €60 million. This deal is truly baffling. Take the Germany 3-1 Northern Ireland match as an example: Waldschmidt started as Germany’s main striker and played 61 minutes but had zero shots on goal. Such a “flop” forward costing Newcastle at least €85 million is an insane deal.