Nick Woltemade finally gets German vote of confidence after media criticism & impressive Newcastle United form
Newcastle United record signing Nick Woltemade is currently away with the German national team ahead of their World Cup qualifier against Northern Ireland.
Newcastle United forward Nick Woltemade has not been able to translate his fine club form to the international stage.
The 23-year-old, who has scored four goals in five starts for Newcastle since his £65million arrival from VfB Stuttgart, has struggled since breaking into the German senior squad.
Woltemade has failed to score in five matches for his country despite finding the net regularly at club and Under-21s level. The Newcastle No. 27 has often found himself isolated leading the line for Germany, but has also failed to capitalise on the few chances that have fallen his way.
It’s the complete opposite story to his start to life at Newcastle, with Woltemade scoring with all four of his shots on target for the club so far.
Woltemade is set to feature in Germany’s World Cup qualifier against Northern Ireland on Monday evening (7:45pm kick-off).
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.
German media critical of Nick Woltemade
Several pundits, Bayern Munich chiefs and German media outlets have been critical of the price-tag Newcastle paid for Woltemade on the back of a 17-goal breakthrough season for Stuttgart.
Bayern Munich had made a move to sign the forward before Newcastle swooped in and hijacked the deal. Since then, German media has been rife in criticising the fee The Magpies paid to get the deal over the line.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge described Newcastle United as ‘an idiot’ for paying Stuttgart as much as they did for Woltemade’s signature, following up from Bayern chief Uli Hoeness’ critical comments.
But Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann was quick to play down the criticism and back his striker to deliver on the international stage.
Nagelsmann said after a 4-0 win over Luxembourg: "It was incredibly difficult for all the strikers. The numerical advantage wasn’t particularly beneficial for the strikers, as things were getting tighter and tighter. Nick just has to keep at it.
"He’s on a good run at Newcastle, he’s scored several times there. He’ll score for us too. It may take another five games before he scores, or six or seven, but that’s not so bad. He’ll score eventually, and then he’ll score a few more times."
Football is BACK - subscribe to our Newcastle United newsletter for all the news straight to your inbox
Eddie Howe on Nick Woltemade’s impact at NUFC
Reflecting on Woltemade’s impact at club level, Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe said: “We expected a lot from him when we signed him. We believe in him. We believe that he can make the transition from another league to this.
“But in saying that, it's still so difficult to do, with no training, to be thrust straight in. Hardly knew his teammates' names, and then he's playing.
“And then you're judged instantly on whether you're going to be a success or failure. That's tough. He's made such a positive impression around the training ground, with his interactions with staff and with players.
“Then he's delivered on the pitch. So I think under big pressure, he's done very, very well. And I think [against Nottingham Forest] was arguably his best game. Not so much first half, but second half, I thought he was all action.