Juventus brought in Nick Woltemade from Newcastle United late in the summer transfer window. So far though, things haven’t gone to plan for the striker.
The Bianconeri were keen on improving their attack in the last few days of the transfer window. Joshua Zirkzee was a target but he was too expensive, leading to them exploring a deal for the German.
Newcastle United’s willingness to execute a dry loan worked in their favour.
In the Serie A so far in the campaign, Woltemade is yet to score a goal. He found the net against NEC Nijmegen in the Europa League but has struggled to carve out a starting spot.
Now, concerns in Italy about the forward are growing.
Reflections underway
Gazzetta dello Sport note how Woltemade has been criticised in Germany for his performances with the national team. This has also caught the attention of Juventus, who feel the player is now ‘under scrutiny’.
Luciano Spalletti had hoped Jurgen Klopp’s new setup would have an impact on the striker. There is a growing belief that hasn’t worked. That is why the Bianconeri only see the ex-Stuttgart man as a ‘temporary solution’.
Juve wanted a striker who can occupy the box and get on the receiving end of crosses. Woltemade has failed to do that so far. This has led to hope around him to ‘deflate’ rather quickly.
The Turin club feel Newcastle United’s valuation for him would be too high. The newspaper also floats the possibility of Woltemade returning to St James’ Park in January, especially things do not change.
At the same time, Juve are already looking around for replacements. Mateo Retegui is a possible target and so is Monaco’s Folarin Balogun.
Patience needed
The 24-year-old has played less than 50 minutes in Serie A. He came into the club quite late and in cases like that, the demand to adapt quickly is often unrealistic. For Woltemade, he has also been told to adapt from a tactical perspective.
As Gazzetta report, Spalletti expects him to be a player who is constantly in the box. The German often drops deeper to receive, making him a bit of a misfit right now.
But that is why Juve need to be patient and reserve their judgement until he is fully settled in.
| Club | Years | Appearances | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Werder Bremen | 2020–2024 | 51 | 2 |
| SV Elversberg (loan) | 2022–2023 | 32 | 10 |
| VfB Stuttgart | 2024–2025 | 36 | 18 |
| Newcastle United | 2025–present | 53 | 11 |
| Juventus (loan) | 2026–present | 4 | 1 |
| First-team club total | 176 | 42 | |
Competitive first-team matches across all competitions.
Excludes friendlies, youth football and reserve-team appearances.
Club record through 20 September 2026.
Additional career record: Werder Bremen II – 3 appearances, 0 goals.
Germany senior team – 14 appearances, 4 goals, through 4 October 2026.
These figures are excluded from the first-team club total.
