Nick Woltemade is set to join Newcastle United, as Eddie Howe is finally going to land a striker this summer.
It has been a thankless task that has led to many options being considered, but the move for the German striker has come out of the blue. Although he has been mentioned by some on social media, there weren’t any concrete links until it was almost done.
For the majority of this summer, Woltemade was heavily linked with a move to Bayern Munich. Several bids were lodged, but they failed to agree a fee with Stuttgart.
This has opened up an opportunity for us and we have grabbed it. After many failures in the summer window, this feels like a coup and it serves as a reminder that the club remains on an upwards trajectory.
At the age of 23, Woltemade is relatively lacking in experience. He is still learning in the senior game, but the huge development he has made in the last 12 months suggests he could become an elite player. Not all players break through as a teenager, with Harry Kane being a notable late developer to reach the very top of the sport.
The German international started his career at Werder Bremen, who he made 48 appearances for. He only scored twice. A loan spell to Elversberg in the third tier in 2022 resulted in a consistent run of games and Woltemade scored 10 goals. He helped the team to promotion and won the Player of the Season award.
When his contract then ended with Werder, Stuttgart took a gamble and signed him on a free transfer. This was only last summer and he was miles off a £65 million player then. Stuttgart didn’t even register him for the Champions League squad. He was seen as a development project.
Woltemade managed to break into the team earlier than predicted and he ended the season with 17 goals across all competitions. The striker helped Stuttgart lift the DFB Pokal, scoring a goal in the final. During the summer, he scored six times in the U21 Euros and ended as the top scorer. He has already been capped by Germany and looks set to be their starting striker for the next decade.
In Germany, he has been playfully dubbed the ‘two-meter Messi/Musiala’ by supporters. This should give a taste of what to expect from Woltemade’s playing style.
The first thing to mention about Woltemade is his size. He stands at 6’6” and provides an imposing figure. The German international is a unique player, as he combines his size with incredible technical ability and mobility. There are similarities with Erling Haaland in the way he is mobile for his size.
Dribbling is an obvious strength for Woltemade. A player with his size would be expected to be cumbersome on the ball, but the striker is nimble and capable of running with the ball. He does have ‘good feet for a big man’. It is his footwork that allows him to thrive when dribbling. He can beat opposition defenders with skill or he can drop his shoulder and beat then with pace.
Woltemade averages 1.69 progressive carries and 1.69 successful take-ons per ninety minutes. These rank in the 75th and 95th percentiles respectively.
Another notable strength is his creativity. Like Alexander Isak, Woltemade is more than a goal scorer, he can create chances for others. His understanding of space is excellent and he is aware of runners around him. One of his common moves is playing neat flicks first time to runners beyond him. The prospect of Anthony Elanga and Anthony Gordon receiving these passes is an exciting one.
Digging deeper into the stats, Woltemade averages 4.28 shot creating actions per ninety minutes. Among strikers, he rates in the 96th percentile, showing that he is an elite creator for his position. An average of 0.25 expected assisted goals per ninety minutes (95th percentile) shows that he likes to create for others. He should add multiple threats to our forward line.
During the summer, his six goals at the U21 Euros shows that he can be a regular goal-scorer. Last season, he averaged 0.42 expected goals (xG) per ninety minutes and scored at a better rate (0.53) than that.
It is obvious that Woltemade’s movement is already elite. Despite his size, he seems to pop up in space more often than he should. That comes from his reading of the game. He averages 8.51 touches in the opposition penalty area (99th percentile) and receives 7.61 progressive passes (91st percentile). These stand out in his data and show why we have signed him. Howe’s team thrive in transition and playing vertically at speed. Our new striker is one who can receive these progressive passes in space.
Without the ball, Woltemade is an enthusiastic presser, who likes to work hard for his team. An average of 1.32 blocks (96th percentile) is very good for a forward and shows how he can close down passing lanes. There is room to develop further here and working under Howe will bring it out of him.
One area that Howe and his coaching staff will need to work on is increasing Woltemade’s shot volume. He averaged 2.43 shots per ninety minutes last year. This is solid and ranks in the 53rd percentile among forwards. However, he will have ambitions to be one of the best strikers in the world and a greater shot volume will be needed to achieve that.
In terms of his finishing, his overperformance of xG shows he is a good one. That being said, he can be over-reliant on finishing with the side of his foot. This can make him easier to predict for goalkeepers. Woltemade would benefit from using a higher variety of finishes more often. It would be expected that the coaching staff will help him gain confidence with using his laces to finish. This would immediately improve him in the final third.
The final area of improvement will come from being able to use his size to his benefit. Woltemade could become even better if he learns how to use his size and powerful frame to his advantage. In a physical league like the Premier League, he could become a force of nature, similar to Haaland. Unlike the Norwegian, he doesn’t always use his size to his advantage, allowing smaller defenders to win balls easier than they should.
He is still relatively experienced for his age and this is something that will come from playing more matches.
This is a hugely exciting signing by the club and represents a huge coup. German football sees Woltemade as the future of the national team and he was expected to join Bayern Munich.
There are clear similarities with Alexander Isak, in the way that he thrives in all aspects of his game and is a complete striker, even if he lacks the pure goal-scoring of our current number 14. From those on the market, this looks to be the best possible replacement, should the Swede leave the club.
Woltemade’s size makes him perfect for English football, even if there is likely to be an initial bedding in period. His ability to drop deep and link the game should suit our array of attacking wingers.
There is risk attached to this move. Only a year ago, Woltemade was signed as a free agent and not seen as a first team regular at Stuttgart. His development has been rapid and for that reason, we can’t expect too much too soon.
That being said, it is difficult not to be hugely excited by the move and it is a reminder of the trajectory of the club.
It would be ideal if we can sign a second striker (preferably with Premier League experience) to share the load with Woltemade and reduce the pressure on him.
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