Newcastle United striker Nick Woltemade has linked up with Germany ahead of the World Cup.
Nick Woltemade of Newcastle United celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and West Ham United at St James' Park on May 17, 2026 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)placeholder image
Nick Woltemade of Newcastle United celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and West Ham United at St James' Park on May 17, 2026 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Woltemade joined the Magpies for a club-record £64million from Stuttgart last summer and has endured a challenging debut campaign, despite scoring 11 goals.
The 24-year-old netted an impressive seven goals between September and November but from December onwards, his fortunes began to change.
The Gazette has launched a WhatsApp NUFC channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates directly to your phone.Simply click this linkto join our NUFC WhatsApp channel.
Woltemade scored an own goal in the Tyne-Wear derby defeat away at Sunderland and while he responded with a brace against Chelsea a week later, he has only found the net twice since then.
The German was signed as centre-forward but since February has been used either in midfield or, most recently, as a No.10. He went three months without a goal before scoring against West Ham United on the final home game of the season.
Germany boss doubles down on Nick Woltemade
Woltemade has had to deal with a lot of scrutiny regarding his form, but national team boss Nagelsmann has again shown his support for the player, suggesting he isn’t being used effectively by Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe.
“He’s not a classic counter-attacking striker,” Nagelsmann said. “At Newcastle, he’s often 70 metres away from goal, which makes it difficult for him to get into the box.
“He often initiated things out wide and then the ball was in the box so quickly that he could no longer get there himself. You have to get him closer to goal.
“The way we play will suit him because he has shorter distances to the goal,” added Nagelsmann, adding that the 24-year-old has “already scored many goals and played many good games for us”.
“That’s a very important point: what you have already experienced in a certain environment.”
Woltemade has already linked up with Germany ahead of the World Cup. Nagelsmann’s side face friendlies against Finland and USA before opening up their World Cup campaign versus Curaçao on June 14.
He has been joined in the squad by Newcastle teammate Malick Thiaw, who largely excelled during his first season at St James’ Park.
Continue Reading