Eddie Howe must solve Newcastle United's 'identity' crisis
Newcastle United latest news: Nick Woltemade has defended Florian Wirtz after his struggling start to life at Liverpool.
Wirtz moved to Liverpool for a British record fee during the summer - one that was then smashed by Liverpool’s acquisition of Alexander Isak on deadline day. However, despite spending almost a quarter of a billion pounds on the pair, neither Wirtz nor Isak have registered a Premier League goal this season.
Moving from the Bundesliga can be difficult, but Woltemade has shown that it is possible to adjust to life in England quickly. The Magpies man has scored six goals for his new club, including one on his debut against Wolves back in September.
Woltemade and Wirtz will now be tasked with helping Germany secure their place at next summer’s World Cup and know that only two positive results against Luxembourg and Slovakia will guarantee their qualification.
Woltemade, who netted his first ever senior goal at international level last month, believes that his teammate will come good in the Premier League: “For every player, adjusting isn’t easy. But he’s doing very well,” Woltemade told NTV.
“On paper, you might not see the goals, but if you compare my games with his, he’s much more involved in play. I’ve probably been in the right spot three or four times, received the ball and scored – but he’s very active in the game, gets lots of touches and makes good plays.”
Nick Woltemade on ‘crazy’ 2025
Whilst Wirtz’s move to Merseyside came with much fanfare and expectation following his exploits at Bayer Leverkusen, in comparison, Woltemade’s move to Tyneside was fairly low key. Unlike Wirtz, Woltemade did not have a backlog of highlight-grabbing Bundesliga moments under his belt and had had just half a season as a regular starter for Stuttgart before his move to Tyneside.
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However, that half a season was enough to convince the Magpies to part with a club-record fee to secure his signature. Woltemade was part of the Stuttgart side that lifted the DFB Pokal last season, in a game that earned him the DFB’s Fair Play Medal following his actions after the final whistle.
A big-money move to Tyneside soon followed and Woltemade is doing his best to embrace every single second of the journey: “It’s been a very crazy year,” he admitted. “I’ve experienced so much – moments I never could have imagined before.
"It’s sometimes hard to grasp. A year like this isn’t something you take for granted. I’m very grateful for it and want to keep working for such amazing moments.”
Once he has completed international duty with Germany, one Woltemade will hope ends with his nation having secured their place in the 2026 World Cup draw, he will return to the north east of England with the aim of helping Newcastle United reverse their slide down the Premier League table. The Magpies’ task following the international break doesn’t begin easily, though, with Manchester City set to visit St James’ Park before they face away trips to Marseille and the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
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