Newcastle United manager Matthias Jaissle is using his contacts in Germany to try and get the best out of Nick Woltemade.
SportBILD report that the new Newcastle manager is determined to get the best out of the striker, despite leaving him on the bench for the draw with Liverpool.
The newspaper explains that Woltemade views the managerial change at Newcastle this summer as a positive.
His relationship with Eddie Howe had remained respectful but strained as they held very different opinions on footballing matters.
He is now holding regular one-on-one conversations with Jaissle, exclusively in German, about various matters.
Woltemade talks
SportBILD report that Jaissle has made it clear to Nick Woltemade that he sees him playing centrally – either as a number 10 or an out and out striker. He will not be deployed as a midfielder, as he was increasingly under Howe’s reign.
Woltemade likes this approach. He also likes the new Newcastle manager’s communication style. He feels that Jaissle has a clear role in mind for him and intends to assign him a fixed position.
The fact he spent the Liverpool game on the bench was due to a delayed start to training and a summer cold which sidelined him in pre-season.
The hope is to get the best out of last summer’s big signing once again. The new role is at least the one he enjoyed at VfB Stuttgart, where he previously excelled.
Jaissle has reportedly told Woltemade to put last season behind him and ‘start fresh’. He talks frequently with the German about this, telling him to let it go.
Outside advice
The Newcastle boss is taking a keen interest in the striker’s future. In fact, that has extended to him using his contacts back in Germany.
SportBILD report that during pre-season, the former Salzburg coach contacted Woltemade’s former manager Sebastian Hoeneß about the striker.
Jaissle and the Stuttgart coach are close friends who know each other from their shared time within the Red Bull network.
He wanted to know from Hoeneß which position suited Woltemade best, what playing styles he preferred, and what he needed off the pitch to perform at his peak.
His aim is to rebuild the 24-year-old’s form, having watched him at Stuttgart and been left very impressed. It is a happier situation than it was under Howe. His replacement is working hard to get the best out of his striker. It also means an exit, is very much off the cards.
