Nick Woltemade has made an immediate impact at Newcastle United just months after his move was described as 'idiotic'
Nick Woltemade.
Nick Pope has defended Nick Woltemade after claims made by the Bayern Munich chief Karl-Heinz Rummenigge..
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Nick Pope says Nick Woltemade is ramming Bayern Munich’s jibes down their throats by banging in the goals for Newcastle. The Magpies shot-stopper described claims made by Bayern Munich executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge as 'madness' as he defended his teammate after the slurs.
The towering German forward has made a blistering start to life in England following his record move from VfB Stuttgart. Woltemade added to his tally on Wednesday night as Eddie Howe's side booked their place in the next round of the Carabao Cup with a 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
The 23-year-old has scored four goals in six Premier League appearances as well as a goal in both the Champions League and League Cup.
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Woltemade has already established himself as a key player in the squad with no signs of a hangover from Alexander Isak's high-profile departure.
The Germany talent has been one of the standout arrivals to England's top-flight while the likes of Isak and some of the Liverpool summer arrivals have struggled for form since their move.
Pope has offered the dressing room reaction to Woltemade's impact but also took aim at Rummenigge for his incendiary remarks about the forward.
“[On Newcastle having lots of tall players] It’s only a positive thing, now that set pieces are a big part of the game, and physicality is a big part," he said speaking to Fozcast.
"It’s a bonus to have those bodies on the pitch. I’m kind of used to it – at Burnley, we had some massive lads as well, so I’ve gotten used to having big lads around me.
“It’s great to have Nick Woltemade, obviously he’s hit the ground running for us. Everyone wants to give him the ball, and he’s shown in training and in games what a player he is – it’s a joy to have him.
"It’s madness," the English shot-stopper said, reacting to the comments made by the Bayern chief.
"Obviously, the standard line is I don’t talk about players from another team. Do we not do that anymore? Now he’s banging goals every few days, it looks great for Nick. He’ll take anything like that in his stride. He’s very mellow and settled into the group great.”
Woltemade was courted to sign for Bayern in the summer as they chased attacking reinforcements, after missing out on key targets.
Rummenigge slammed Newcastle for paying £65million for the forward, he said: "I'll be honest: When this story with Woltemade and then the demand from Stuttgart came up, I, as well as Uli, Herbert Hainer, Jan Dreesen, and Max Eberl, said - folks, we're slowly getting to a level that I simply don't find acceptable anymore.
"We shouldn't fulfill every demand to make someone happy, especially the financiers at VfB Stuttgart.
"I can only congratulate those in Stuttgart for finding - I'll use quotation marks here - an idiot who paid that much money. Because we certainly wouldn't have done that in Munich."
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