Nick Woltemade is just over a year removed from being one of the brightest talents in world football. After a highly impressive spell with VfB Stuttgart and the U-21 German national team, Woltemade earned a move to the Premier League, but since then things haven’t gone well for the German striker.
After a loan move to Juventus this past summer, Woltemade has had a slow start, and questions are starting to arise as to whether this is simply a player quality issue or something greater. The former Bayern Munich transfer target is currently the subject of much discussion.
“The criticism of Nick Woltemade stems from a tactical misunderstanding between Luciano Spalletti’s vision and Juventus’ needs and resources in the transfer market,” explains Transfermarkt’s Aniello Luciano. While Nick Woltemade’s 1.98m stature gives the impression that he is a traditional number nine with a physical presence and aerial ability, that is not his forte.
A closer examination of the striker reveals that Woltemade’s strengths lie in his hold-up play, playmaking, and movement. This is not a surprise for fans of VfB Stuttgart or the German national team, but it appears as though the Juventus coach is forcing him to play a style that he simply isn’t meant to play.
It seems as though this is another misinterpretation of the German’s abilities, but on the opposite spectrum of what we saw at Newcastle, where Woltemade was forced too far back into central midfield.
The German giant is a striker, no doubt, but one that works well with dynamic attackers such as Florian Wirtz, which was evident in his role under Jürgen Klopp in the international break. Although he didn’t rack up goal contributions, it is clear that Woltemade has strong abilities and can succeed under the right circumstances.
What remains is whether or not he will actually be given the right role with Juve or another failed experiment will send him back to the Bundesliga. Are you ready to call Woltemade a bust or is he still capable of achieving the kind of season we saw him have under Sebastian Hoeneß at VfB Stuttgart? Let us know in the comments!
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