Newcastle United star told he must follow West Ham example with U-turn career move
A Newcastle United forward has been handed some career advice by a former World Cup winner.
Newcastle United forward Nick Woltemade has been told what the next move in his career should be as he struggles to make an impact during a season-long loan spell with Italian giants Juventus.
The Germany international joined the Magpies from Stuttgart in a club record deal last summer and made a promising start to his time on Tyneside by scoring four goals in his first five Premier League appearances. However, a disappointing second half to the season saw Woltemade feature in several different roles under former manager Eddie Howe and the forward ended the campaign with 11 goals in 51 appearances.
After featuring as a substitute in a 2-0 win at Spurs and starting a Carabao Cup victory against West Bromwich Albion in the first week of the current season, Woltemade joined Juve on a season-long deal and he has scored in Europa League wins against NEC and Celta Vigo. However, all five of his Serie A appearances have come from the bench and he is yet to find the net in the league as Randal Kolo Muani has established himself as first choice frontman.
Former Germany captain Lothar Matheus has now advised Woltemade to follow the example of former West Ham United striker Niclas Füllkrug by taking a pay cut and seeking a move back to Germany.
The former World Cup winner told ProSieben: “The situation is similar to what Niclas Füllkrug went through. It didn’t work out in England, and now it’s not working out in Italy either, so what next? Does he head back to Germany? “In Füllkrug’s case, it paid off to sacrifice some money. He’s smiling again in Bremen.
“It just goes to show that money shouldn’t be the most important thing. He’s happy once more; he never felt the same level of love and affection anywhere else as he did in Bremen. The question is whether any German club can still afford him. If a Bundesliga side has a pressing need, they might reach out. But one thing is certain: Woltemade would have to lower his salary expectations.”