'Completely surreal': Nick Woltemade's move to Newcastle United comes in for more scrutiny from Germany
Newcastle United were recently branded as 'idiots' by senior officials at Bayern Munich for paying £69 million to bring Nick Woltemade to the Premier League.
As anyone who has covered those quotes has pointed out, including ourselves, it just reeks of sour grapes. Bayern Munich had tried all summer to sign the German international striker, but simply couldn't afford to reach the same level of compensation as Newcastle were able to offer VfB Stuttgart.
Critics of the move will dress it up as saying that Woltemade simply wasn't ready for such a big move, having only been playing at the top level for a year, but four goals in five games kind of puts paid to that.
Now, Werder Bremen legend Thomas Schaaf has weighed in with his thoughts to BILD, saying that anyone who said Woltemade would end up in the Premier League so soon should be put in a straitjacket.
Thomas Schaaf says anyone who predicted Nick Woltemade's rise should have been put in a straitjacket
Woltemade came through the ranks at Werder Bremen before leaving on a free and joining Stuttgart last summer, before going on to score 17 goals and leading Germany to the Under-21s European Championships Final, finishing as the tournament's top scorer. Schaaf has been impressed with the meteoric rise of Woltemade, but even he didn't see it coming.
“The sums that are generally paid today – that is insane.
“This is completely surreal. Nick can’t be blamed for the fact that this transfer has caused such a stir. He’s a good boy with a bright mind. The speed with which the transfer has now taken place was unforeseeable. Not in Stuttgart and not at Werder.
“It was clear early on that he had what it takes to play in the Bundesliga. But anyone who thought he would move for so much money now needs to be put in a straitjacket,”
Schaaf's comments seem more positive than the other noise coming from Germany
Schaaf's comments aren't filled with salt like those of the Bayern chiefs; indeed, if anything, Schaaf seems more supportive of the move and proud of what Woltemade has achieved in such a short space of time.
Of course, the opinions of outsiders don't matter so much as how the man himself feels and how the Newcastle United staff, players and supporters feel about him, and it's safe to say we all bloody love the man.
What's not to love? He seems genuinely down to earth, no ego, but also fully aware of his talents. And he looks like Howard Moon.
