Rival’s interest rebuffed? Why Nick Woltemade can hope for a rosy future at Newcastle United and what role VfB coach Sebastian Hoeneß plays in it
Nick Woltemade's prospects of a successful future at Newcastle United apparently look rosy after the surprising change of manager.
A report by Sport Bild reveals that new coach Matthias Jaissle sees Woltemade as an important part of his team. According to the report, Jaissle has assured Woltemade that, unlike his predecessor Eddie Howe, he clearly sees him in his preferred positions in central attack or as a second striker.
Under Howe, Woltemade was at times used in deeper midfield roles, which, according to Sport Bild, surprised Jaissle quite a bit. The new coach is backing his fellow German and giving him clear direction to quickly put his rather disappointing debut season at Newcastle behind him and look ahead.
After arriving in England from Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia following Newcastle's surprising split from Howe at the beginning of August, Jaissle did leave Woltemade on the bench for 90 minutes in the 2-2 against Liverpool in the Premier League opener last weekend. According to Sport Bild, however, that was mainly because the Germany international only joined pre-season late after his World Cup holiday and then also had to miss several days with a summer cold, which set him back somewhat.
Further underlining Jaissle's regard for Woltemade, according to Sport Bild, the new Magpies coach got in touch with Stuttgart head coach Sebastian Hoeneß, who had once worked successfully with the gangly striker at VfB. The two know each other from their time together as youth coaches at RB Leipzig and are good friends, with Jaissle having once been Hoeneß' assistant coach in the Saxons' academy.
Matthias Jaissle sought detailed information about Nick Woltemade from Sebastian Hoeneß
During the conversation about Woltemade, Jaissle gathered all the important information about his new player, with Sport Bild reporting that he asked Hoeneß about the best position for the former Stuttgart player and also wanted to know what matters to Woltemade off the pitch. At VfB, he had developed into a Germany international as part of a front two or slightly deeper behind it, and those are the roles in which Jaissle now wants to use him again.
For that reason, a sale, which has repeatedly been speculated about in recent weeks and months, is currently probably not an issue at Newcastle either. According to Sport Bild, Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest most recently showed concrete interest in Woltemade, but Newcastle immediately rejected it.
Speculation over Woltemade's return to Germany
As things stand, a departure after just one year has never been an issue for the former Bundesliga star during the summer, as he feels at home in the city and at the club and is determined to establish himself. The latest speculation over a return to Germany to RB Leipzig or Borussia Dortmund is described by Sport Bild as baseless.
Woltemade joined Newcastle from VfB in 2025 for a hefty €75 million fee, but after a promising start things did not go well for him in England. At one stage he went a very long time without a goal and regularly found himself on the bench, while Howe also handed him unusually defensive tasks. Under his successor Jaissle, things are now supposed to improve, with Woltemade's Newcastle contract still running until 2031.
