Nick Woltemade of Newcastle United reacts during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Chelsea at St James' Park on December 20, 2025 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)placeholder image
Nick Woltemade of Newcastle United reacts during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Chelsea at St James' Park on December 20, 2025 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The goals have recently dried up for Nick Woltemade following a fast start to life at Newcastle United.
Newcastle paid a club-record £69million to beat Bayern to the 6ft6in German striker’s signature.
Bayern had been in talks with Stuttgart long before the Magpies came to the table, but failure to agree a fee saw the Premier League club swoop in during the final week of the summer transfer window.
Eddie Howe’s side started the campaign without a recognised senior striker after Alexander Isak went on strike before forcing through his £130m British record move to Liverpool.
Nick Woltemade’s start to life at Newcastle United
Fresh from scoring 19 Premier League goals last season, United paid over the odds to sign 29-year-old Yoane Wissa from Brentford for £55m as a ready-made replacement for Isak, but a knee injury on international duty with DR Congo saw Woltemade thrust into action.
The 23-year-old scored the winner on his debut in a 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, which started a run of seven goals in his opening 14 starts. From bullet headers, flicked finishes and a top corner penalty, Woltemade had quite the showreel.
However, since the beginning of December, the goals have dried up. Woltemade bounced back from his own goal in the Tyne-Wear derby defeat to Sunderland by scoring a brace against Chelsea a week later, but that is the only game he’s scored in his last 20 games.
Not only have the goals been few and far between, but so has his game time of late. Since Wissa’s return from injury, he and Woltemade have regularly rotated, which appears to come at the detriment of the German.
Neither Wissa or Woltemade - both of whom cost a combined £124m - are in form, evidenced by Eddie Howe’s decision to start Anthony Gordon, a winger by trade, as the central striker in recent away matches against Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.
Nick Woltemade could leave Newcastle United in the summer - Christian Falk
It’s claimed the current situation could lead to both Newcastle and Woltemade being open to a summer transfer, although that doesn’t necessarily mean a move to Bayern Munich.
Falk wrote on CF Bayern Insider: “It is TRUE: Bayern retain their admiration of Nick Woltemade. Just like any club, when you have a clear admiration for a player, it’s normal to wonder about the future. That’s the point with Woltemade and Bayern Munich. Both sides know that perhaps they’ll meet again in the future.
“This summer is too early. Bayern Munich won’t pay the transfer fee. I heard Newcastle, perhaps, would lower their price tag. Indeed, they’re not so happy at the moment; Woltemade isn’t playing a great deal. The manager, Eddie Howe, isn’t giving him many chances to play at the moment.
“That said, he had a very good start to life at Newcastle, so things can change quickly if he’s getting the play time and scoring. At the moment, however, a deal isn’t guaranteed.
“But the door could open this summer, and Woltemade, if things don’t change, could be open for a transfer. I’m not sure if Bayern Munich will be at the table this time, but it’s always a question of price.”
Take Nick Woltemade claims with a pinch of salt
What next? Well, take Falk’s comments with a pinch of salt, especially. Those close to Bayern have shown nothing but bitterness after they were gazumped by Newcastle last summer.
Despite the recent struggles, Woltemade is said to be happy on Tyneside and previous comments do a lot to back that up.
"When I saw how the fans reacted when I came into the game (in midweek), even the messages I got, I felt really good,” Woltemade said in the days after his own goal against Sunderland.
"I'm really happy that I play at a club like this. That's what I wanted to give back to the fans and I just can say 'thank you' to everyone who texted me. I got maybe 95 per cent good messages and that's not normal when you score an own goal in a derby and lose the game. But I'm really happy and thankful to play for the club.
"When I came in on Wednesday, on the pitch, the whole crowd were singing my name. This is not normal and I'm really happy to play in a club like this, to give me a good feeling. That's why I played, I think, good - because I knew the fans are behind me. The fans give me the confidence."
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