Newcastle united gazumped Bayern Munich to sign Nick Woltemade for £64million last summer.
Bayern Munich honorary president Uli Hoeness has attacked club icon Lothar Matthaus over the Nick Woltemade transfer saga.
Newcastle United famously gazumped the Bundesliga giants to sign the German striker. Toon chiefs stumped up a club-record £64million - with several Bayern figures condemning the move.
Woltemade quickly silenced the naysayers by scoring four goals in his first five Premier League games. However, a mixed season ensued - with Eddie Howe deploying the 6ft 6in forward in midfield.
This has given the German media fresh fuel regarding Woltemade and Newcastle ahead of the World Cup. But the fury was not just aired towards the Magpies as Bayern chief Hoeness took a swipe at all-time great Matthaus.
Uli Hoeness attacks Lothar Matthaus
Honorary president Hoeness hit out at Matthaus following the saga, believing he raised Stuttgart's asking price with his public comments. The former Ballon d’Or and World Cup winner claimed Woltemade could cost between €60million and €80million, angering those at Bayern.
He has doubled down on his criticism nine months after Woltemade joined Newcastle. Hoeness told Der Spiegel: “Matthaus' comment about Woltemade was clear. I'll tell you one thing - we would have signed him for €50million, and I'm sure we could have pulled it off. But then Matthaus goes and says in the paper that the player is definitely worth between €60million and €80million.
"(They could no longer) sell him for £55million, because they would have come under such pressure that they would have been too stupid to carry out what Matthaus, as a so-called expert, was trumpeting to the world. He doesn't have to exploit his position to keep hurting FC Bayern."
Lothar Matthaus defends Nick Woltemade stance
Following the initial backlash, Matthaus defended his comments - even taking a swipe at Bayern for signing Nicolas Jackson. He said: “I don’t set the prices. Clubs and management set the prices. And when you see that a player has now been signed for a world record loan fee - €16.5 million for a one-season loan - that’s the highest price. So why did Uli Hoeneß get upset with me when I said Woltemade could cost €80 to €100 million, and they’re now paying €16.5million for a one year loan?”
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