Newcastle United confirm Nick Woltemade transfer stance after shameful reports emerge
Matthias Jaissle is keen to rebuild Nick Woltemade’s career at Newcastle United.
Matthias Jaissle has revealed he told Nick Woltemade to “leave the past behind” on their first meeting at Newcastle United.
A club-record arrival 12 months ago, the forward endured a mixed debut campaign on Tyneside. Woltemade got off to a flyer - with four goals in his first five Premier League games - before suffering a downturn in form.
Eddie Howe shifted the 24-year-old into midfield but to little avail. An underwhelming first season at Newcastle has caused reports on the continent to ramp up suggesting Woltemade could be sold.
The Gazette understands this not to be the case. Offloading Woltemade would not make sense from a financial perspective unless a club stumped up the bulk of his £64million transfer fee - which is unlikely.
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‘Leave the past behind’ - Matthias Jaissle
Speaking to The Gazette at his unveiling as manager, Jaissle discussed how Woltemade starts this new era with a clean slate. He said: “Of course, he had a difficult period. From the first day, we talked a lot. We should leave the past behind, because it's something that cannot change.
“We're just looking forward. We find solutions, we do the best. Not only with Nick, but with all the other players as well. To improve them, to find positions where they feel comfortable, to work with the principals in our idea of how we want to play football.
“Then there's the development to see. I'm really optimistic, but that counts not only for Nick, also for the other players.”
Nick Woltemade secret weapon?
Jaissle also noted how Sebastian Hoeneß - who managed Woltemade at Stuttgart - is a close friend. He added: “I'm in touch with them anyway. Sebastian is a close friend of mine, so of course we will also be chatting about the player but it's also important that you build your own opinion.
“Every coach and every human being has their players or their opinions, and sometimes you're stuck in a box, so it's important for us to bring that new energy and also these new and neutral opinions about players.”
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