The Germany head coach has picked Woltemade for internationals against Switzerland and Ghana
Germany’s head coach Julian Nagelsmann addressed a press conference in Frankfurt on Thursday(Image: Hannes P. Albert / AFP via Getty Images)
Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann admits Nick Woltemade’s plight at Newcastle United ‘bothers’ him and insists he will never find himself ’80 metres’ from the opposition goal while playing for the national team.
Nagelsmann selected Woltemade, as well as Newcastle team-mate Malick Thiaw, in his Germany squad to face Switzerland and Ghana later this month, despite the 24-year-old’s poor recent form on Tyneside.
Woltemade has scored just one goal in 2026 and has been ousted from the central striker role by winger Anthony Gordon in recent weeks.
The £69million club record signing was an unused substitute in both legs of Newcastle’s Champions League defeat to Barcelona and it remains to be seen whether he will earn a recall to the starting XI for Sunday’s Tyne-Wear derby against fierce rivals, Sunderland.
Nonetheless, Nagelsmann is not too concerned about Woltemade being rotated out of the Newcastle side.
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“In a calmer setting, he’s a really pleasant guy with a good sense of humour, a great character in my opinion, always in a good mood, always radiating positivity in conversations,” Nagelsmann said of Woltemade during a press conference on Thursday.
“He’s undoubtedly had a tough time in Newcastle, no doubt, but that’s normal. I also tried to explain his role. I think what I said was interpreted too negatively.
“He’s done well for us, but in a role that no one would have thought of six months ago, or even six months before the World Cup qualifiers, because so many other players were injured.
“He can start, but he can also play a good role as a substitute because he has an unorthodox style of play with his size and technique, and I think, looking at his recent record with us, he has very fond memories of the national team and is extremely excited about it. I think it will help him too.
“And when assessing the whole situation at Newcastle, I think you simply have to look at the overall picture. Yes, he’s not currently a striker in their squad. Gordon, who basically scores everything, has a lot of goals, but he still sat out the last two big games.
“He’s not a striker who consistently plays and takes his place, but rather, Eddie Howe has obviously decided, without me knowing any more details, to simply swap his strikers, and that’s his right, he should do what he wants and what he thinks is right. It’s not my concern at all.
“I’m just trying to evaluate the player within the overall context, and if there were three strikers who always played, I’d be significantly more worried than I am about Newcastle’s current setup, where the forwards are constantly being rotated.”
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe and striker Nick Woltemade
However, he does harbour concerns about Newcastle’s recent use of him as a midfielder, suggesting you will never get the best out of Woltemade, who has scored 10 goals for the Magpies this term, ’80 metres from goal’.
“Lately, and this is just my opinion, judging him on his own, he’s often played very deep, and when he’s defending as a double pivot, it’s quite a long way for Nick to cover,” Nagelsmann added.
“If he wants to get towards goal, it’s very unlikely he’ll score, because he’s not a classic counter-attacking striker who can sprint at 36 km/h to outrun the opponent. And then, when he’s 80 metres from goal, I don’t think, as a British journalist, you can expect him to score 20 goals, because the distance is simply too great.
“Yes, it always depends a bit on the overall situation. What I can promise is that he’s rarely 80 metres away from the goal for us. If we have a game where we’re 80 metres away from the goal, he won’t play. I try to get him closer to 30 metres from the goal, and then he’s dangerous and does a lot of things well.
Nick Woltemade of Germany celebrates scoring against Luxembourg
“I think very highly of him as a person. He’s not someone who overthinks things. Nevertheless, the situation bothers me, of course. I think it’s normal that he’d prefer things to be different, but I think that’s normal.
“New culture, new league, new language. Sure, you know, he had that in school, but it’s all new. Yes, new city. It took him some time in Stuttgart too, as I said in the interview. I have total confidence in him and I’m giving him the necessary patience. It will all be fine.”
Woltemade started all six of Germany’s World Cup qualifiers as a central striker and has four goals in his last three international matches for Die Mannschaft.
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