Nick Woltemade has missed out on the DFB squad for the first time since his debut. The striker's performances aren't the whole problem. A decision he made in the summer is also costing him.
When the DFB announced their official squad for the upcoming Nations League internationals against Serbia (13 November) and the Netherlands (16 November) on Thursday lunchtime, Niclas Füllkrug had reason to celebrate. The Werder Bremen striker looked a long way from the national team after his move to West Ham United in the summer of 2024 and the prolonged goal drought that followed. His return shows how quickly fortunes can change.
Less than six months ago, Füllkrug was still nowhere near a DFB recall, having consequently missed the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. Now he is one of Germany's form players. Since returning to the Weser, the 33-year-old has scored twelve goals in ten appearances across all competitions. He has found the net in each of his last eight games, scoring twice against Dortmund, Paderborn and Mainz.
National coach Jürgen Klopp said at the press conference that it had been "a pleasure" "to make the decision" and tell Füllkrug he could return to the national team after a long period of hardship. The veteran has "an incredible influence on Bremen's game, and not just through his goals", Klopp stressed. "Sometimes form trumps everything else."
Getty ImagesHow is Nick Woltemade doing at Juventus?
By "everything else", Klopp may have meant Nick Woltemade, among others. The Juventus striker has yet to meet the high expectations at Italy's record champions. For now, he is the opposite of Füllkrug.
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Yet the 24-year-old's numbers suggest a better picture than his first omission since his DFB debut in June 2025 might imply. Woltemade has played more or less regularly since joining the Old Lady and has shown his qualities on several occasions, particularly in the Europa League. He has neither scored nor directly contributed to a goal in eight Serie A appearances, but has three goals (two penalties) and three assists in four European matches.
On Thursday evening, he made another case for himself in the 2-1 away win in Alkmaar, playing well and setting up Randal Kolo Muani's goal to make it 2-0. Woltemade has now been directly involved in at least one goal in every European match he has played for the Bianconeri.
Woltemade's problem, and probably one reason he has missed out on the DFB squad, is not a complete lack of impact in a Juve shirt. His numbers rule that out. The bigger issue is the decision the former Bundesliga striker made last summer to join the Turin club in the first place.
Getty ImagesWhy did Nick Woltemade move to Juve?
At Newcastle United, his parent club, regular playing time would not have been easy to secure. Newcastle reportedly paid VfB Stuttgart 75 million euros in 2025, but under Eddie Howe, who stepped down in the summer, Woltemade was often a substitute brought on for the final few minutes and rarely managed to make his mark.
Howe has since gone. Former RB Leipzig youth coach Matthias Jaissle took charge of the Magpies and immediately promised Woltemade a fresh start, even if he might initially have to wait his turn because of Jaissle's preferred pressing-intensive style of play. Woltemade evidently did not want to risk another season playing second fiddle and left for Italy.
Getty ImagesCan Nick Woltemade make it back into the DFB squad?
According to Klopp, the move was "fundamentally a very smart move". After an extremely bleak spell at Newcastle, Juventus offered the 24-year-old a fresh environment. A "different league, better weather" and a coach in Luciano Spalletti whose approach might suit Woltemade better could help him rediscover his old form. Juventus' struggles, however, make that harder. The former serial champions have long since stopped providing a supportive environment for careers at a crossroads and have become increasingly irrelevant on the pitch. That is "of course not down to Nick. Not even remotely," Klopp stressed.
Juventus have spent years wrestling with problems that make it difficult for a player to deliver top performances week after week and catch the national team's eye. An haphazardly assembled squad and serious financial problems have contributed to a steady decline on the pitch. The Turin club recently announced a loss of 66 million euros for the 2025/26 financial year. Inter, Milan and Napoli have long contested the Serie A title among themselves, while Juventus have failed to qualify for the Champions League twice in the last four years.
Italy's press adds another challenge. It is generally highly critical, as Woltemade has discovered on several occasions. Major newspapers such as Gazzetta dello Sport and Tuttosport regularly tear into the German's performances, at times in assessments that resemble a witch-hunt. In the 2-0 defeat to Genoa FC a week and a half ago, Woltemade came on for Federico Gatti at half-time with the score at 2-0, yet the criticism singled him out almost as the main person responsible for the defeat. He had recently been named Juventus' player of the month.
Klopp, at least, appears to recognise the situation. "Honestly, Nick is going through a fairly good spell at Juve right now. A lot is coming back; he simply hasn't had an easy time since the move," the national coach explained. Woltemade was "on a good path. He is lacking a little in outright goal threat." Füllkrug, meanwhile, is providing exactly that, leaving Klopp with a clear choice. "It was a relatively easy decision." Füllkrug in. Woltemade out.