Nick Woltemade admitted the Newcastle United criticism has affected him while speaking to German media.
Nick Woltemade has insisted he is “relaxed” about his Newcastle United goal record.
And in a fiery defence of his debut campaign at St James’ Park, the German admitted that the Toon critics have bothered him this season. Woltemade enjoyed an impressive start following his club-record arrival - scoring four goals in five Premier League games.
However, the 24-year-old’s form dipped after being rotated with Yoane Wissa. Woltemade has not scored a top-flight goal since December - 13 games - with Eddie Howe deploying him as a midfielder in recent months.
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‘It bothers me’ - Nick Woltemade fires back
Speaking to German media via Bild, Woltemade has hit out at those focusing on his goalscoring return. The Toon ace admitted he prefers to play up front but has been to “expand his repertoire” under Howe.
“It bothers me,” Woltemade said when asked about the criticism. “If someone claims that I’m in a slump, I’d argue that this person doesn’t watch many Newcastle games.
“I know people associate me with goals, but you can’t compare a striker’s tally with that of a midfielder playing 50, 60, 70 metres from the opponent’s goal. I’m currently a completely different Nick Woltemade than I was at the start of the season.
“Right now, I should be judged by how I handle duels or secure space. Of course, I score far fewer goals now. But I’m completely relaxed. I don’t mind expanding my repertoire. And I’m convinced that, in the long run, it will make me stronger if I learn to navigate phases like this.”
Eddie Howe on Nick Woltemade
When grilled about Woltemade’s form last month, Howe responded: “I speak to the players. Not necessarily on a daily basis, but I'll be having meetings with them throughout the week on various things, usually associated with their game and trying to help them with viewing games.
“I've done a lot of that with Nick. I think Nick's in a relatively decent place with his game. It's so funny how one performance or one bad game can suddenly bring a cloud around a player.
“I think Nick's performances, if you look at them with a more holistic viewpoint, have been excellent in recent games. I've been pleased with him. Yes, he's maybe not getting the goals that he was in the early season, but I think his all-round game is better than it was.
“I'm oblivious to the outside opinion. I would be saying the same as national team manager, not necessarily to relax, but to carry on enjoying football, play your way. He's got outstanding qualities, I think he'll only get better for us as time goes on.”
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