Nick Woltemade’s career hasn’t really gone anywhere since he made the move to Newcastle United last summer. The German international has struggled to get going at the Premier League club, and he has been linked with a move away of late.
But, according to Pete O’Rourke via Football Insider, Eddie Howe seems to have a plan to help Woltemade get his Newcastle career back on track. The English manager is considering having the 24-year-old striker deployed in the number ten position moving forward.
He has already featured in that role for Howe’s team, and the 48-year-old believes that he has a future as an attacking midfielder in his starting XI. Woltemade had a sensational season with VfB Stuttgart last time out. On the back of those performances, the Magpies forked out a fortune to sign the German striker, who has been brought in to help replace Alexander Isak.
While the Tyneside club expected him to have an immediate impact, things haven’t really gone according to plan. The 24-year-old did have an impressive start as he found the back of the net on six occasions in his first 11 outings. However, things haven’t been that great for him in recent months.
While speaking about Woltemade’s future, O’Rourke said, “Eddie Howe and the rest of the coaching staff at Newcastle will want to keep hold of Woltemade, and they’ll be expecting an improvement from him next season once he’s had a full year of adaptation in the Premier League.
“He played in a new role in the Champions League playoff against Qarabag, playing as a number 10, and he did quite well in that position rather than playing as a number nine.
“So let’s see between now and the end of season if he’ll be used more in that role, and maybe that will be a position where we’ll see the best of Nick Woltemade.
“If that’s the case, then Newcastle will be very happy with him.”
He has found the back of the net just once in his last 16 outings. But the German striker did have an impressive outing against Aston Villa and Qarabag last week in the number ten role. Given his struggles at the Tyneside club, he has been linked with a move away. However, it seems Howe is willing to trust him in that number ten role going forward.
The 24-year-old could be seen in that role going forward. While Woltemade’s future has been a massive talking point, Howe has insisted that he remains happy at St. James’ Park. He has done a great job in that number ten role, and the English manager may well trust him to continue featuring behind the striker.
