Why Newcastle United Moved Fast To Secure Nick Woltemade From Stuttgart

Newcastle United is set to sign Nick Woltemade from VfB Stuttgart. (Photo by JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images)

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Newcastle United is set to sign German national team striker Nick Woltemade from VfB Stuttgart. According to a report by Transfermarkt, Stuttgart is set to receive €90 million ($105 million), including add-ons. Stuttgart confirmed talks with a “European club” on the club page on Thursday night, indicating that a resolution can be expected on Friday.

The transfer will bring an end to weeks of speculation that have surrounded the 23-year-old striker. Bayern Munich has seen several public attempts to sign Woltemade rebuffed by the Swabians. Stuttgart finally closed the door on a move to the Rekordmeister following their 2-1 defeat to Bayern Munich at the Franz-Beckenbauer-Supercup.

“We have informed all parties that a transfer won’t be happening,” Stuttgart director of sport Fabian Wohlgemuth said in the mixed zone after the game. Bayern never reached Stuttgart’s evaluation of €70 million ($81 million) plus add-ons for Woltemade.

Stuttgart always believed that Bayern Munich’s evaluation of €55 million ($64 million) plus a sell-on was way short of Woltemade’s market value. CEO Alexander Wehrle and Wohlgemuth rightfully pointed out that Eintracht Frankfurt received €95 million ($111 million) for Hugo Ekitiké from Liverpool, and RB Leipzig €85 million ($99 million) for Benjamin Sesko from Man United.

In other words, Stuttgart sensed that Bayern Munich wasn’t having a good handle on the realities of the transfer market. With that in mind, the Swabians were willing to wait and see. Worst case, the sense was Bayern Munich would come back to make another attempt to sign Woltemade next summer.

Indeed, that was the common belief at the Rekordmeister this summer as well. Part of the changed transfer strategy, which shifted away from signing players and towards focusing on loan deals, was the belief that Woltemade would still be available to be signed next summer. However, times have changed in German football; the automatic mechanism that ensures Bayern secures the top stars from other Bundesliga players is no longer in place.

There are several reasons for that. First, Premier League finances mean that Bayern is now operating in a new financial reality. Second, other Bundesliga clubs are in a far healthier financial situation, which allows them to sit out offers made by Bayern Munich.

Stuttgart is a prime example. After years of yo-yoing between the Bundesliga and 2. In the Bundesliga, Stuttgart has seen significant investment from carmakers Porsche and Mercedes. Additionally, the club has renovated its stadium and now boasts one of the top VIP areas in German football. Finally, the club recently participated in the Champions League, which created a further financial boost.

Additionally, Stuttgart also played the market very well. It was only a matter of time before Newcastle approached Woltemade. The Magpies are set to lose their star striker, Alexander Isak, to league competitor Liverpool, and need a replacement.

Newcastle previously lost out on Ekitike and Sesko. Of all the strikers currently available on the market, Woltemade is the closest comparison to Isak. Like the Swede, Woltemade is a tall, physically imposing forward who moves very well with the ball on his feet. The 23-year-old striker is not only fast, but excellent in one-on-one situations and in tight areas.

There is more, according to Opta, Woltemade ranks third among players from Europe’s big five leagues with the most touches in the opposition’s box per 90 minutes since the start of last season, with 9.4 touches per 90 minutes. The other two players are Kylian Mbappé (10.9) and Mohamed Salah (10.3). “His vision and dribbling are amazing,” Stuttgart captain Atakan Karazor said in an interview with Gegenpressing.

In the same article, former Bundesliga star striker Claudio Pizarro also praised Woltemade’s play. “I know him from our time together at Werder Bremen,” Pizarro said. “He was always technically very gifted. But he hasn’t really used the abilities naturally gifted to him. I think he needs to improve physically and use his body better.”

That’s without a doubt true, Woltemade has to get better using his 198cm (6’5’) frame. However, watching the striker at the German Supercup, it appeared that Woltemade had also worked on those aspects of his game. The forward did a great job holding up play, helping his teammates to close the space around him.

Once Woltemade has perfected that aspect of his game, the striker has the potential to be a superstar in the same mold as previous German strikers. It is now up to Eddie Howe to unlock that potential. But the Newcastle boss has highlighted in the past that he can get the best out of talented players in very short order.