Newcastle United provide inside track on 'unhappy' Nick Woltemade & summer exit claim
Eddie Howe has hit back at claims Nick Woltemade is unhappy at Newcastle United.
Nick Woltemade’s move to Newcastle United has been a big talking point in the German media this season.
Woltemade left VfB Stuttgart to join Newcastle for £65million last summer after Bayern Munich failed to secure a move for the forward.
Earlier in the week, a column by Raimund Hinko in German outlet BILD gathered traction after it was shared on BBC Sport’s gossip section with the caption: “Woltemade is reportedly unhappy at Newcastle and would welcome a move back to Stuttgart or Bayern Munich.”
The opinion of one German journalist being shared as transfer gossip understandably got people talking and even made its way back to Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe.
While Woltemade has had a tough season at times for Newcastle, he is into double figures in his debut season and has adapted seamlessly since moving into a deeper role in recent matches.
And Howe was quick to rubbish any perceived claims that the 24-year-old is unhappy on Tyneside.
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“Yeah, he seems really, really happy,” Howe said. “He seems what you see is what you get, I think, with Nick. I think he's always laughing. He's been very good in the dressing room, actually.
“He's built a really close friendship with Malik [Thiaw], which is great to see him build that strong relationship with one of his teammates. But also, I think he's well-liked by the group.
“I think that's a really big thing for any player. I think the guys really respect and like his personality and the fact that he's very much a team player.
“He's a likable guy. He's always, as I say, got good humour, doesn't take himself too seriously. He's one of the lads.
“So when I see reports or hear reports that he's not happy, that's not the player that I'm seeing.
“So he's looked really good on the pitch, I have to say, in the last few games. I've been really, really happy with him. He's performing at a really high level. So I don't see any issues.”
Nick Woltemade ‘in the right place’ at NUFC
The claims of Woltemade being unhappy at Newcastle have not only been refuted by Howe but go against what the player recently said himself in an interview with GQ.
The German striker said he knew he was ‘in the right place’ following the reaction to his unfortunate own goal in the derby defeat at Sunderland in December.
“It was a bad, bad feeling,” Woltemade said. “I’d never scored an own goal before, especially in this game… when I was sitting on the bench [after getting subbed] I was like, Wow, maybe the fans [will] destroy me. But when I came into the dressing room, I put up my phone and I just saw good messages.
“This helped me a lot, because of course I understand it was the most important game [of the season]. I was so thankful. It showed me I’m in the right place.”
The following week, Woltemade scored a brace in a 2-2 draw against Chelsea and had the St James’ Park crowd singing his name.