After a fraught and fruitless transfer saga involving the Bavarian giants, the towering striker is on his way to Tyneside for an astronomical fee
Plenty of players over the years have been compared to Lionel Messi. None of them, though, have been built like Nick Woltemade.
Standing at 6'6 tall, the towering German striker is more of a giant than a flea, but Stuttgart captain Atakan Karazor was only half-joking when he told : "Woltemade has Messi's technique!" It isn't much of a surprise, then, that Woltemade has been one of the hottest properties of this transfer window, having helped Stuttgart end their 18-year trophy drought in 2024-25.
And after being pursued all summer long by ever-dominant Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, the 23-year-old's future has finally been decided – but he's not heading to Bavaria. Out of almost nowhere, Newcastle United have stolen a march on their esteemed adversaries to strike a deal worth an eye-watering €80 million (£69m/$93m) and snatch the frontman in a dramatic late twist.
The Tynesiders might well need a replacement for Liverpool target Alexander Isak as a separate saga drags on, but what else has prompted the Magpies' sensational late swoop? Below, GOAL tells you everything you need to know about the No.9 who was a free agent little over a year ago…
AFPWhere it all began
Woltemade was born in Bremen on February 14, 2003, a Valentine's Day baby who discovered his love for football at an early age. He had a gift for the game, too, and was still only seven when he was signed by Werder Bremen from local amateur outfit TS Woltmerhausen.
He progressed rapidly through his hometown club's youth sector and first caught the eye of senior team coach Florian Kohfeldt during the 2018-19 campaign by scoring 18 goals and creating a further eight for the Under-17s.
The striker continued to score freely the following season after being promoted to the U19s, and, on February 1, 2020, Woltemade became the youngest debutant in Bremen's history when he came off the bench in a Bundesliga clash with Augsburg at 17 years, 11 months and 18 days old.
At the time, Woltemade looked destined to become a star at the Weserstadion, but it wasn't to be.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportThe big break
After being laid low by illness in January 2021, the teenager was then sidelined by knee ligament damage, while at same time plagued by a persistent foot problem. The net result was Woltemade failing to lock down a regular spot in the Bremen squad, sparking fears that he might never realise his full potential.
Those fears only intensified after he was loaned to third-tier outfit SV Elversberg in the summer of 2022, but the move proved a pivotal moment in the youngster's career. Woltemade found some form and, far more importantly, some fitness at the UrsapharmArena, as he was directly involved in 19 goals (10 of which he scored himself) as Elversberg secured promotion to the 2. Bundesliga as champions.
Woltemade still struggled to replicate those impressive numbers upon his return to Bremen and he parted company with his hometown club when his contract expired at the end of the 2023-24 season. However, the successful stint at Elversberg played a pivotal role in Stuttgart's decision to take a punt on Woltemade – which has paid off spectacularly.
AFPHow it's going
Unsurprisingly, the free transfer from Bremen who wasn't even registered to play in the Champions League began the season on the Stuttgart bench – and that's where he spent all 90 minutes of five of his new team's first nine Bundesliga outings.
However, Woltemade was all the while impressing in the DFB-Pokal, and when he netted twice as a half-time substitute in the Bundesliga win over Union Berlin on December 6, he began to start regularly for Stuttgart.
The centre-forward went on to net 12 times in 28 appearances in Germany's top flight – including in each of the final three games of the season. Even more significantly, Woltemade also finished as top-scorer in the DFB-Pokal, with five goals in five outings, including the opener in the 4-2 victory over Arminia Bielefeld in the final.
Finishing the season with such a flourish also resulted in him being called up to the senior Germany squad for the first time for the Nations League finals, making his debut in the semi-final defeat to Portugal and playing in the third-place playoff against France without getting on the scoresheet.
A matter of days later, though, Woltemade would take the Under-21 European Championship by storm, bagging a hat-trick in the opening victory over Slovenia and netting three more goals en route to the final as he emerged as the tournament's top scorer, although he was unable to help his country avoid a dramatic defeat to England in the showpiece as he finally drew a blank. However, his exploits certainly put him in the shop window.
Biggest strengths
It was obvious to Stuttgart captain Karazor that the club had pulled off a masterstroke in landing Woltemade on a free, given it was clear to him from the start that his rare mix of height and technique was going to make him a nightmare for opponents. He epitomises the old cliche, 'he's got good feet for a big man'.
"I think I recognise a good footballer quickly and Nick caught my eye from the first week of training," the Turkish midfielder told The most important thing for us is to involve Woltemade enough in the game but he can do that as a deep-lying striker between the lines or as a true No.9 in the opponent's box. Because we know what we have in Nick: he's a two-metre-tall (Jamal) Musiala or Messi!"
As well as being a formidable attacking threat and a tremendous outlet that relieves pressure on his team by holding the ball up well, Woltemade also works incredibly hard to help his team-mates win it back.
The ability is certainly there, as he so wonderfully underlined with his stunning solo strike against Spain's U21s, with Woltemade dinking the ball over the goalkeeper after the cheekiest of nutmegs on his closest marker.
