German media slam Newcastle United record signing Nick Woltemade again despite assist in 3-1 win
Newcastle United forward Nick Woltemade started for Germany as they beat Northern Ireland 3-1 in Cologne on Sunday night.
Nick Woltemade grabbed an assist for Germany before being taken off early in a 3-1 World Cup qualifier win over Northern Ireland on Sunday.
The Newcastle United £65million club record signing led the line for his fourth international cap for Germany. After a frustrating evening in a 2-0 defeat to Slovakia last week, Germany raced into a 1-0 lead inside the opening 10 minutes in Cologne.
Woltemade slipped a ball through for Serge Gnabry to open the scoring. Isaac Price levelled for Northern Ireland in the first half with a close-range volley.
Woltemade was withdrawn on the hour mark Nadiem Amiri with the score at 1-1. Amiri put Germany ahead minutes later before Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz wrapped up the win with a free-kick goal.
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 slam Nick Woltemade once again
Following Germany’s 2-0 defeat to Slovakia, German outlet Bullinews, handed Woltemade a 3/10 match rating, stating: “Woltemade started brightly, providing a clever backheel pass to Leon Goretzka, but it proved to be a frustrating evening for Newcastle’s new signing. He couldn't capitalise on the crosses that came his way and lost possession too often.”
Despite his assist and Germany’s win on Sunday, his rating after Northern Ireland was not much better.
Bullinews scored him a 4/10 and wrote: “Did not work in this match, could barely hold onto any ball or get in dangerous positions. However, he provided a nice assist for Gnabry. Only got 16 touches in the 60 minutes he played.”
The matches were the first time Newcastle supporters would have seen their new record signing in action. While his displays for Germany have been underwhelming, there is still plenty of excitement and anticipation over what Woltemade can produce at club level after working with Eddie Howe and his coaching staff.
The 23-year-old is yet to fully train with Newcastle’s first team having joined the club before quickly heading off on international duty. But he is set to be available for selection for Saturday’s Premier League fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Football is BACK - subscribe to our Newcastle United newsletter for all the news straight to your inbox
Nick Woltemade set to return to Newcastle United
Woltemade will now return to Newcastle looking to make an impact in the Premier League.
Woltemade’s ‘club-record’ price tag brings with it plenty of expectation, though the deadline day addition of Yoane Wissa, who scored 19 Premier League goals for Brentford last season, will take off some of the pressure, having been named as the club’s new No. 9.
Reflecting on the move, Woltemade told the club website: “I’m really happy to be at this amazing club. From the first contact, I felt like the club really wanted me and had big plans for me.
“It’s a big step in my life to leave Germany but everybody has welcomed me so well and it already feels like family. I have a really good feeling from speaking to the head coach that this is the right place for me to find my best level.