‘Really disrespectful’ - Jamie Carragher slams club chief after Nick Woltemade and Newcastle United comments
.jpg?width=96&crop=1:1,smart)
Newcastle United news: Nick Woltemade has made a brilliant start to life at St James’ Park - despite harsh comments from Karl-Heinze Rummenigge.
Nick Woltemade became just the third Newcastle United player, after Alan Shearer and Les Ferdinand, to score in his first three Premier League starts at St James’ Park when he netted a penalty against Nottingham Forest on Sunday. After arriving for a club-record fee, there was plenty of pressure on the German international to hit the ground running on Tyneside, particularly after his strike partner Yoane Wissa was injured on international duty.
That pressure and expectation increased dramatically when Karl-Heinz Rummenigge described Newcastle United as ‘an idiot’ for paying Stuttgart as much as they did for Woltemade’s signature. Rummenigge told Blickpunkt Sport: “I'll be honest: When this story with Woltemade and then the demand from Stuttgart came up, I, said as well as Uli Hoeness folks, we're slowly getting to a level that I simply don't find acceptable anymore.
“We shouldn't fulfill every demand to make someone happy, especially the financiers at VfB Stuttgart. I can only congratulate those in Stuttgart for finding - I'll use quotation marks here - an idiot who paid that much money. Because we certainly wouldn't have done that in Munich.”
Jamie Carragher responds to Nick Woltemade criticism
Woltemade’s goals have already silenced that criticism and any worries that he wouldn’t be able to adapt to life on Tyneside, whilst the way he dispatched his penalty on Sunday highlighted the confidence he is playing with at the minute. Speaking ahead of that game, Jamie Carragher leapt to the defence of Newcastle United’s new striker, slamming Rummenigge for his comments.
“I really like [Woltemade] and I actually saw that quote a few days ago and it angered me and I am not a Newcastle United supporter,” Carragher said on Sky Sports.
The Gazette has launched a new WhatsApp NUFC channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates directly to your phone. Simply click this link to join our NUFC WhatsApp channel.
“I think it's a joke really, coming from someone who is part of a football club, in terms of Bayern Munich, a really respected football club. He shouldn't be speaking about, especially, another German player like that so disrespectfully. That would have been all over the news in Germany, and his family and friends are there.
“That's our job, we are pundits, not somebody associated with such a fantastic club. That is really disrespectful, and when I saw that, I thought 'Do you know what? I really hope that lad shoves those words down his mouth.' And at the start of his Premier League career, it looks like he is going to.”
Anthony Gordon also defended his new teammate from those Rummenigge comments following Newcastle United’s 4-0 win over Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League last week. Gordon netted twice from the penalty spot in that match, whilst Woltemade also got himself on the scoresheet with a brilliant finish to set his side on their way to a comfortable win.
“I don't know why you'd comment on a player who is not at your club,” Gordon said about Woltemade following that win. “It's a bit stupid to be honest, especially when the player has started really well.
“Had he started really poorly then you make that comment, but he's scored three goals in four games, so it was a bit of a weird comment.”