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Nick Woltemade’s goal drought has been a significant talking point for weeks, especially with the World Cup on the horizon. Now, his coach at Newcastle United has also spoken out critically. Could this lead to a sensational transfer this summer?
Eddie Howe addressed questions about Nick Woltemade’s repeated placement on the bench during the Magpies’ recent 1-2 loss to Crystal Palace with a notably critical tone towards the German international.
«I don’t pick the team based on transfer fees, but on what I see,» Howe stated to Chronicle Live, referencing the limited playing time Woltemade received against the Eagles. The 24-year-old was only introduced in the final minutes, shortly after the home side equalized through Jean-Philippe Mateta, coming on for Newcastle’s scorer William Osula. He then had to witness Crystal Palace score the winning goal in stoppage time.
Woltemade’s last Premier League goal was just before Christmas, when he scored a brace against Chelsea. Since then, he has only managed two assists in the league. However, Woltemade himself has refrained from admitting to a form crisis.
He explained in a recent interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung that he is playing «in a completely different position at the Magpies than at the start of the season.» He added, «I know I’m associated with goals, but you can’t compare a striker’s goal record with that of a midfielder who plays 50, 60, 70 meters away from the opponent’s goal.»
«At the moment, I am a completely different Nick Woltemade than I was at the start of the season,» Woltemade continued, referring to the much deeper role Howe had assigned him over the course of the season. «Right now, I should be judged more on how I win duels or secure space.» And this seemingly no longer pleases Howe. Woltemade was already benched for the entire duration of both Champions League playoff matches against FC Barcelona (1-1, 2-7).
Woltemade Increasingly Benched at Newcastle: Speculation at BVB and Bayern Munich?
The increasingly difficult situation for the German forward has also fueled increasingly spectacular transfer rumors about Woltemade. It’s reported that both BVB, in case of Serhou Guirassy’s departure, and FC Bayern are still considering him in their planning and thought processes.
The record German champions had already intensely pursued Woltemade last summer but ultimately missed out due to the massive offer from Newcastle. According to the portal ChaughtOffside, they are still closely monitoring Woltemade’s situation in England, especially since the departure of loan player Nicolas Jackson has created a certain vacancy in the striker position behind the undisputed Harry Kane. However, it remains questionable whether Woltemade would want to fit into a challenger role in the attacking center alongside Kane, Jamal Musiala, or Serge Gnabry. Furthermore, his situation could change rapidly after a potential and much-discussed Howe dismissal.
In any case, FCB’s transfer priorities lie elsewhere. They are reportedly looking to strengthen the right-back position and also seeking a backup for Luis Diaz on the left wing. Regardless, despite Woltemade’s unsatisfactory situation, it currently appears highly unlikely that he would want to close the chapter in England after just one year, and that the Magpies would agree to an early sale given the immense transfer fee in the summer. For that, the record champions would have to dig deep into their pockets for renewed pursuit, and given the new transfer strategy, which is intended to be based more on economic sensibility than costly mega-transfers, this seems even less likely.
Nagelsmann Criticizes Eddie Howe Over Woltemade’s Position
After his €75 million transfer from VfB Stuttgart to the Eagles in the summer, Woltemade had a brilliant start in the Premier League, causing a stir with four goals in his first five games. Since then, he has only scored six more goals across all competitions for the Magpies, who are themselves having a weak season.
After qualifying for the Champions League last season, Newcastle now finds itself in 14th place in the league table, with 14 losses in 32 games. However, with a strong finish to the season and some luck in European competitions, a jump into international business is still possible.
A good end to the season with plenty of playing time and goals would also be a balm for Woltemade’s frustrated soul, especially with the upcoming World Cup in mind. He received verbal encouragement at the end of March from national coach Julian Nagelsmann, who made it a priority to get Woltemade back on track.
He couldn’t resist a jab at his coaching colleague Howe either, emphasizing that Woltemade certainly wouldn’t have to play in the German national team the way he does at club level. «He often played very deep, and when he defends as a number six, it’s a long way to the goal. I can promise that he won’t be 80 meters away from the goal with us,» Nagelsmann said before the friendly matches against Switzerland and Ghana.
Nagelsmann Supports Woltemade and Triggers a Political Issue Around Undav
And the national coach kept his word. Woltemade received decent playing time in both friendly matches. In the 4-3 victory over Switzerland, he came on as the first substitute for Kai Havertz after 62 minutes, while the in-form Deniz Undav remained on the bench for the entire 90 minutes. In the 2-1 win over Ghana, Woltemade then played 78 minutes in the central striker role and again got the nod over the eventual match-winner Undav.
This sparked a considerable debate in German football, during which Nagelsmann strongly backed Woltemade, especially after the Switzerland match.
«Nick has a great record with us and is currently not having an easy time at Newcastle. Now I have a choice: Should I continue to give confidence to a top striker who is in great form, or should I drop another top striker who is not in such good form right now? Let’s ask a few psychologists what they say,» Nagelsmann defended his decision and then took a jab at those psychologists. They would «probably say the opposite of me: ‘That’s the hobby of psychologists who are not in office, they always like to claim the opposite of all coaches’.»
Looking ahead to the World Cup in the summer, Nagelsmann also made it clear how important the 1.98-meter tall, technically gifted tall player could be. «I say it is advisable for Nick Woltemade to get back on track with us. Things are not going smoothly at Newcastle, and Deniz is on a run anyway. Whether he would have played today or not, it won’t change his confidence for this week.»
Deniz Undav and Nick Woltemade: Performance Data and Statistics
| Player | Games | Goals | Assists |
| Nick Woltemade | 49 | 11 | 5 |
| Deniz Undav | 40 | 23 | 13 |
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