· 10 September 2025, 20:00
Nick Woltemade created a goal for Serge Gnabry on Monday night as Germany beat Northern Ireland 3-1 in their latest World Cup Qualifier.
Unfortunately, Newcastle United's record signing faded into the background as the game went on before being subbed off to a smattering of boos from around the stadium.
While some German media outlets, namely BILD, tried to play things down by suggesting they were booing because he was coming off, not booing his performance, the reality is it's never great for a player to come off the pitch to a chorus of boos.
Drawing a blank in both games and being part of a woeful overall performance by Germany in their 2-0 defeat to Slovakia, Woltemade's confidence is likely to have taken a knock over the last week, although he did look to be in good spirits in training at Darsley Park.
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Didi Hamann has defended Nick Woltemade after a tough week with Germany
Woltemade has been defended by former Newcastle United midfielder Dietmar Hamann, who explained that a huge price tag doesn't automatically equal immediate quality (via Sport Witness).
“I would defend him a little. He can’t do anything about the transfer fee. Newcastle bought him for €90 million, yes. But you can’t expect the performance of a €90 million player from him yet.
“He might be worth that in two or three years, but not yet. Besides, the two games weren’t easy for an attacker when you’re barely getting any usable balls from your teammates.”
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Nick Woltemade was defended by his German teammates
Meanwhile, Woltemade's Germany teammate, Nadiem Amiri, was quick to point out the madcap days that led up to him linking up the the German side.
“(He) flew to England and is now back here. It’s not easy,”
Woltemade had flown from Germany to Newcastle to sign the contract and do all the media stuff before flying back to Germany to link up with the national squad. That's a lot of physical and emotional strain heading into a big match.
We've got full confidence that Nick Woltemade will come good for Newcastle, and by extension, Germany. He just needs a bit of time.