Nick Woltemade signed for Juventus on deadline day after falling out of favour at Newcastle
Matthias Jaissle speaks with Nick Woltemade
Matthias Jaissle speaks with Nick Woltemade
Nick Woltemade's tenure on Tyneside may be over for now but the impact of the big striker continues to be keenly felt. Rarely has been the subject of such discourse since Hatem Ben Arfa's enigmatic spell.
Woltemade is a different kettle of fish to Ben Arfa, who was maverick and mesmerising but with an attitude that had more question marks than the Riddler's suit. The Frenchman fell out with managers from Didier Deschamps to Alan Pardew, Laurent Blanc to Steve Bruce.
In contrast, Woltemade's reputation is of an all-round good guy; a hard worker, diligent and dedicated. With his sunny, smiley disposition, you would be hard pressed to find anyone with a bad word to say about the 24-year-old. He was - and still is - a hugely popular member of the Newcastle dressing room.
It's a popularity that extends to the fanbase as well. Woltemade's strut and style has made him a cult figure, with United supporters desperate for their record signing to be a hit at St James' Park. His role under Eddie Howe split opinion and was often used as a stick to beat the former Newcastle manager with, but the truth is that another head coach, Matthias Jaissle, wasn't convinced by the player's ability to operate in his system either.
Hence, a move to Juventus on transfer deadline beckoned for Woltemade and he grabbed it.
Now, a fresh report in Germany claims that the big striker wanted to leave Newcastle after becoming disillusioned with his new manager's style of play. Sport Bild claim that the forward was surprised by the tactics employed by Jaissle, with too many long balls for his liking.
Woltemade was also left on the bench for the season-opener against Liverpool after the former Werder Bremen frontman failed to shine in pre-season. Newcastle United made 56 long passes in that game with 28% success rate. So far, the Magpies sit joint sixth in the Premier League table for the most long balls this season (173) with Nottingham Forest topping the table on 204.
Jaissle has talked about implementing a 'vertical football' style of play on Newcastle and that has been evident in the early games. Against Spurs, for example, the opening goal came via Nico Gonzalez's long diagonal pass to Amar Dedic who nodded it down for Anthony Elanga to turn and score. It was a move that Newcastle tried on two other occasions against Tottenham, and on Tuesday night at Millwall with both Dedic and Lewis Hall the recipients.
Nico Gonzalez's passing to Amar Dedic against Spurs
Sources close to the situation have told Chronicle Live that Woltemade and his camp are unhappy with what they felt was a lack of transparency around his situation, with a last-minute move looking like his only option in the end.
Woltemade did not want to leave Newcastle at first, with his preferred choice to stay and fight for his place. But we understand he was told that he did not fit into the current playing style at United, with Jaissle preferring rapid players to hit teams on the break.
It was only the day before deadline day that official talks began on Woltemade's Newcastle exit. The player asked for extra time to think about the move, but came to the conclusion it was pointless staying where he was not expected to play and eventually sealed the move to Juventus.
The rushed nature of it, however, means that the player and Italian side are still getting to grips with the situation. Juventus manager Luciano Spalletti has reportedly told Woltemade in recent days that he expects him to bring his physical attributes into play in Serie A, be strong in the air and use his height to create opportunities for other players in the penalty area.
"Woltemade is strong in the air; he can be used as a solution," Spalletti said.
It appears that any issues he may have had with long balls on Tyneside could soon be replicated in Turin.