Newcastle United's Nick Woltemade (Image: John Walton)
Newcastle United's Nick Woltemade (Image: John Walton)
MATTHIAS Jaissle insisted he will be keeping a close watch on Nick Woltemade despite giving the green light for his fellow German to move on loan to Juventus.
Woltemade arrived at St James’ Park for a club record £69million last summer, but while he initially impressed in his first season the forward had a downturn in form, scoring just twice after Christmas.
He started in the Carabao Cup win over West Brom and provided an assist for Yoane Wissa in last Saturday’s 2-0 win at Tottenham, but he has been deemed surplus to requirements by Jaissle this season.
The 24-year-old sealed a season-long loan to the Bianconeri on deadline day but Jaissle was adamant he will not be taking the approach of ‘out of sight, out of mind’ towards his compatriot.
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“It was a tough decision,” Jaissle said ahead of this weekend’s clash against Bournemouth. “I really appreciate this guy, as a player for his qualities, a really special player with huge potential.
“We had good conversations, really honest conversations and he decided now to take another challenge. He decided to make the next step to get the minutes he really deserves for his quality.
“Hopefully he gets the fit he wants and what Juventus are searching for. He deserves to be playing and performing well. I am really curious to see how he does.
“I’m really optimistic that he will shine there. He will score a lot of goals there for sure. He’s still our player so therefore we will, for sure, stay in close contact.”
Woltemade moving to Turin was pushed through after Newcastle completed the £51m signing of long-term target Matias Fernandez-Pardo from Lille, the club’s eighth acquisition of the summer transfer window.
The 21-year-old Belgium international was the last bit of business following a shift in transfer policy this summer from Newcastle, whose signings are all under 25 years of age.
“We are clear that we have one of the youngest squads in the Premier League right now, this is a brave way, but we see a lot of potential,” Jaissle said.
“Something I’m really aware of, there will be ups and downs with young players. We will support them in the lows but also in the highs. We have a squad with huge potential and we’re really happy.”
While Jaissle is enthusiastic about what Fernandez-Pardo can offer Newcastle, the 38-year-old head coach warned not to expect too much, too soon as he has not started a match since May.
“He’s fit and training with us but it’s been a while since he played the last time over 90 minutes,” Jaissle added. “It’s important to adapt towards our intensity in training and the Premier League.
“We will have a close eye on him and we are smart with the load management. We want to enjoy him for a longer period and not just for one game.
“He’s already showing a lot of strength on the pitch. He has a physical level which fits really, really strong to our idea to how we want to play football. With his speed up front, he can cause many opponents problems.”
Juventus are paying Newcastle £3.5m for the season-long loan, which includes neither an option nor an obligation to buy.
Woltemade had fallen behind Yoane Wissa and Will Osula in Newcastle's pecking order, while Joe Willock was preferred to him at Tottenham.