Newcastle striker Nick Woltemade doesn’t care what Bayern Munich or anyone outside his club thinks about his transfer fee.
Nick Woltemade will face German opposition for the first time since leaving his homeland to join Newcastle United in August when the Magpies face Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Wednesday, and he will do so without thinking of those who questioned his big-money move to Tyneside.
Newcastle signed Woltemade from Stuttgart in a record £69million transfer that was greeted with derision by some, including a key figure at the club who reportedly attempted to secure the German striker’s signature on several occasions before heading to the Premier League.
Bayern Munich board member Karl-Heinz Rummenigge praised Stuttgart for finding an “idiot” to pay the fee for Woltemade.
But Woltemade has impressed in the first few months of his Newcastle career, scoring seven goals and providing one assist in all competitions.
Unsurprisingly, the 23-year-old faced questions about Rummenigge’s criticism when he spoke to reporters at a press conference on Tuesday, and he made it clear that such remarks were not cause for concern.
“To be honest, I don’t care,” Woltemade said. “I think a lot of people talk about me and, if I listened to everything, what it says about me, I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on myself. So I don’t read it.
“I just take care of myself and focus on myself, and that’s how it helps me the best. At the end of the day, I don’t decide what someone pays for me, but I can say that I’m really happy that Newcastle are paying that for me because I’m really happy to be at Newcastle now.”
Woltemade excited to play with Wissa
Woltemade was brought in along with Yoane Wissa to fill the void left by the British record departure of Alexander Isak, who left for Liverpool for a fee of £125 million. Isak has only scored twice for Liverpool since.
Wissa injured his knee while on international duty with DR Congo shortly after his deadline day trip, but eventually made his debut off the bench in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Burnley.
And Woltemade, who is seen more as a number 10 than a typical number nine, is keen to join the former Brentford man.
“I’m really happy to live in Newcastle and I’m really excited to play with Yoane,” added Woltemade. “He’s a very good quality player. He’s a player who can score goals and he’s also a nice guy. He brings really positive vibes to the team because he laughs a lot and gives good energy. We can play together.”
Newcastle boss praises striking duo
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe was keen to speak to Woltemade to try to gain insight into Leverkusen as they attempt to secure an away win at the BayArena that would all but seal their place in the Champions League last 16.
Howe still sees a lot of untapped potential in Woltemade after his strong start, and is also optimistic about the impact Wissa can have.
“Nick did brilliantly,” Howe said. “I just had the pleasure of spending half an hour with him on the way here and he’s just a great person, a really good character.
“Nick has the ability to laugh at himself and that’s always a good quality. It was great to talk to him about the German championship and the German mentality.
“On the pitch he did very well. It’s very difficult to come in and do what he did. He fitted in perfectly. He really bought into the team philosophy in terms of giving for the team, whether it was out of possession, whether it was coming back and defending from set pieces, which he did really well for us, and, of course, scoring goals.
“But there’s so much more to come from Nick. I’m excited about what he can be.”
On Wissa, Howe added: “He looks positive, the body language is very good. He got a boost coming on the pitch and he’s ready to get minutes.
“The challenge we face now is the limited training times between matches, which we need to get right.
“He showed the qualities he has in those 20 minutes, and he will only get better.”
