Germany striker Nick Woltemade played the full 90 minutes in Wednesday's 3-2 win but again failed to make much of an impact. New Magpies boss Matthias Jaissle had left the forward on the bench for the league opener against Liverpool, which ended 2-2.
After a bright start last season following his €70 million move from Stuttgart, Woltemade endured a difficult campaign under Eddie Howe, who even used him in midfield at times. Speculation surfaced towards the end of the season that the Magpies wanted to move on their expensive signing. So far, though, Woltemade has stayed and has done little to strengthen his case.
"While others received good service, nothing came together for the Germany international," concluded the Chronicle, the Newcastle newspaper. "The lack of willingness to go where it hurts is cause for concern," the paper added. Jaissle's style, built around running and pressing, does not appear to suit Woltemade particularly well either, with the German more comfortable as an attacking player involved in combinations.
Getty Images"I don't like saying this, but Nick Woltemade is not made for English football," a Newcastle fan posted, according to Sport Bible. "The time has come to sell him," he added, "you can just see that it's not working for him." Another Magpies supporter added: "Sorry, but we have to sell Woltemade."
That Newcastle paid a large fee for him a year ago only adds to the problem: "I'd take the loss and sell Woltemade for any amount, swap him or loan him out," another fan had seen enough of the German.
Jaissle are backing Woltemade at Newcastle - and even called Hoeneß
Woltemade, 24, has been loosely linked in recent weeks with Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig, but there have apparently been no concrete talks over a move so far. Last season he managed 11 goals and five assists in 51 competitive appearances for Newcastle.
Still, despite the frustration among supporters, Sport Bild recently reported that Jaissle continues to view the Germany international as an important part of his plans. According to the report, Jaissle told Woltemade that, unlike his predecessor Eddie Howe, he clearly sees him in his preferred positions through the centre of the attack or as a second striker. He is said to be backing his German compatriot internally, giving him clear direction to quickly draw a line under his largely disappointing debut season in Newcastle and move on.
To help Woltemade get back on track, Jaissle is even said to have called Sebastian Hoeneß in Stuttgart, with whom the striker had worked extremely successfully at Stuttgart. In that conversation, Jaissle gathered all the key information about his new player and, according to Sport Bild, asked Hoeneß about the best position for the former Stuttgart man and also wanted to know what matters to Woltemade off the pitch.