Eddie Howe shares what he feels Nick Woltemade needs to work on to be successful at Newcastle United
Newcastle United's record signing, Nick Woltemade, is under the microscope at the moment after being moved out of his striker position into a more midfield role.
The move suggests that Eddie Howe isn't sure how to get the best out of the big German forward, who, after a strong start in the Premier League, has faded into the background at Newcastle.
A lot has been made of the mismatch of styles between how Newcastle and Woltemade prefer to play and the inability of either party to adapt to suit.
Nick Woltemade has a lot of positive qualities, I don't think anybody doubts that, but he just doesn't suit how Newcastle United plays right now.
Eddie Howe is happy with where Nick Woltemade prefers to operate on the pitch
In Friday morning's press conference, Craig Hope asked Eddie Howe what the long-term plan is now for Nick Woltemade if he could have time to actually work with him in training.
Since Woltemade arrived at Newcastle at the end of the transfer window, after the season was already underway, Eddie Howe hasn't had much time to work with him in training due to the hectic schedule.
Howe admitted in his press conference that he wouldn't want to change Woltemade's style of play; he just needs to work on getting him physically up to Premier League levels and work on his athleticism and intensity.
Improving Nick Woltemade's physical attributes would go a long way
We genuinely believe that if they can get Woltemade's fitness up and increase his intensity so that we may actually see him running and sprinting rather than walking and jogging everywhere, that would make a huge difference to his game.
Our big issue with Woltemade of late is that he looks lazy. Has anyone ever seen him actually sprint? He just seems to float around and wait for the ball, and then he either plays it off with his first touch or tries to turn into a sea of players and loses the ball.
A lot of it will be down to his broken confidence at this point, we're sure, but we want that early-season Nick Woltemade back.
