Nick Woltemade

[Colos Short and Curlies]

1 minute ago, TBG said:

Poll please.

 

Would you rather the club concentrate on getting him registered in time, or, would you rather the club concentrate on getting the media side of things done meaning we miss the registration cut off time.

 

Appropriate response - media content obviously.

 

Proper response, I want clips from his debit in Monday's media release

[gazza ladra]

7 minutes ago, Gallowgate Toon said:

Barnes will absolutely love having a striker of this ilk, the give-and-go merchant.

I think he'd have two assists already this season if Gordon could head the ball.

[Terrymac1966]

Are we now un-markable at set pieces?

 

Dan Burn 6'7"

Nick Woltemade 6'6"

Malick Thiaw 6'4"

 

Set piece Coach will have a field day with these players as a goal threat.

[Elliottman]

Waiting for that embedded  

[Keegans Export]

Even if he isn't "ready" to start, just having him on the bench at Leeds would be a massive boost

[Facundo Ferreyra]

 

"I like to be an entertainer"

 

[Menace]

19 minutes ago, Lish007 said:

Someone was asking for it earlier. This is the one we wanted after Ekitike in my opinion but we thought it was useless after Bayern were involved. 

 

 

That was me. Thanks for this - considering he played in a worse team this is really promising. 

[Displayname]

3 minutes ago, Facundo Ferreyra said:

 

"I like to be an entertainer"

 

Sounds like a personality that will fit much better in with the squad than grumpy Isak.

[Interpolic]

6 minutes ago, Facundo Ferreyra said:

 

"I like to be an entertainer"

 

 

his mam and da both trying to claim credit for his dribbling skills 

[Gola]

He seems nice too. Isak always felt cold. Amazing footballer obvs, but cold.

[Lush Vlad]

8 minutes ago, Terrymac1966 said:

Are we now un-markable at set pieces?

 

Dan Burn 6'7"

Nick Woltemade 6'6"

Malick Thiaw 6'4"

 

Set piece Coach will have a field day with these players as a goal threat.

“One thing I would say is. That it doesn’t matter who you play unless you get a decent cross in.” 
 

[John P]

8 minutes ago, Facundo Ferreyra said:

 

"I like to be an entertainer"

 

He seems a smashing lad from that interview. Much prefer him to that sulky twat Ekitike

[pubteam]

12 minutes ago, Terrymac1966 said:

Are we now un-markable at set pieces?

 

Dan Burn 6'7"

Nick Woltemade 6'6"

Malick Thiaw 6'4"

 

Set piece Coach will have a field day with these players as a goal threat.

3 men on Dan Burn at corners, then realisation, ooohhh fuck you seen the size of him 🤣

[GWN]

Will go straight on the bench , deffo

[KDT]

If only he was a little prettier.

[LFEE]

 

[wyn davies]

3 minutes ago, KDT said:

If only he was a little prettier.

Money makes him pretty for the lasses.

[gazza ladra]

1 minute ago, LFEE said:

 

Oh that dweeby little Athletic guy. He's good.

[Yorkie]

19 minutes ago, Facundo Ferreyra said:

 

Quote

Nick Deadcanny

 

[Dokko]

Buzzing waking up about this. Probably more so than when we signed Isak. Get another striker in when the snake leaves and we're in a much better position than last season imo. We also jettison a ticking timebomb we didn't know about.

[Checko]

2 minutes ago, LFEE said:

 

Spoiler

Mythbusting: Nick Woltemade It was only a matter of time until Nick Woltemade started getting links across Europe. He's a unique striker, with a ton of qualities, a few weaknesses, and some myths to bust...

 

History + Profile Woltemade is a 23-year-old German ST, and a product of Werder Bremen's youth setup. He only transferred to Stuttgart last summer! Going back further than the move to Seb Hoeness' side, it's quite interesting to see how Woltemade struggled to make an impact at the seemingly lesser club in Werder Werder went down to the Bundesliga 2. in 2021, and since being promoted in 2022, they've finished 13th, 9th, and 8th this season. You'd think that Woltemade's path to Stuttgart, a side that had just qualified for the Champions League in May 2024, would have been earned off the back of excellent goalscoring form. However, after being loaned to SV Elversberg in 2022-23, a third-tier side at the time, Woltemade managed just 2 goals in 30 Bundesliga apps

 

Of course, most of these weren't starts. But it wasn't glowing form, which is also surprising, considering Woltemade's profile and Werder's playstyle. Now, if you're unaware, Woltemade is *massive*. He's a whopping 198cm tall, around 6ft 6/7. Werder meanwhile, attempted the fifth-most long balls in the Bundesliga last season. They're a counter-attacking side that like to play quite direct. Why didn't Woltemade the giant work out there? I have a theory we'll come back to...

 

Anyway, since moving to Stuttgart, Woltemade has made a pretty seismic impact. Not necessarily in terms of goals (although, 10 non-penalty goals in 17 league starts/28 apps is still very impressive); but impact on how Sebastian Hoeness' side have played. In 2023-24, they were a team that looked to bait opponents forward before trying to cut through them with short passes, and go forward. Think De Zerbi. This season, they have retained this objective - it's clearly a strong principle for Hoeness. However, rather than always playing short passes, Woltemade has added another dimension to their ball progression, enabling them to go long at times.

 

Still, it's important to point out early on that Woltemade isn't really a target man! Yes he is huge, yes he can dominate physically, but what he really likes doing is getting on the ball. He'll often drop quite far off centre-backs, and even out to the left wing, to turn and run at defenders. And I mean run - we'll get into it, (spoiler alert, in the positives section), but Woltemade ranks HIGH for dribbles/carries. This is showcased in what I'd describe as his general responsibilities on the pitch: Be ready to receive long balls Lay off passes to surrounding team mates Spray passes to runners out wide Navigate tight spaces and carry the ball forward Drop off defenders in the final third to link play, and create chances Get into the box for shooting chances Press high, usually pressing the CB then moving on to the FB To really leave you with this impression, here's two maps from @Robbie l

 

First are his successful ball receipts, which show how Woltemade consistently likes to drop into wide areas, rather than stick to the middle like a target man. Second is dribbles attempted, which again shows that he's often taking players on in wide areas, where you might expect a winger to do so. ( unsuccessful, rest are successful in some form) So, now we have a better understanding of what type of striker Woltemade is, what's actually good about him?

 

Positives Well, since I mentioned it, let's talk about Woltemade's dribbling. It would be very easy to fall into the classic cliche here, "he's got good feet for a big man". I want to make it clear; Woltemade has great footwork, full stop. He just doesn't move on the ball like someone who's close to 2m tall. He can control the ball with all parts of both feet, and is genuinely pretty skillful. He'll look to ball roll it past tackles, or drop a shoulder and beat a defender. He's aware of opportunities for nutmegs. There are obviously limits to Woltemade's mobility both on and off the ball. He can't turn that fast. Still though, I do think there's good speed to how Woltemade can sidestep challenges, and make small spins with defenders behind him. The numbers are pretty reflective of this: Woltemade attempted 71 dribbles last season, completing 31 of them at a 44% success rate. That's around 1.7 per game Is it astonishing numbers? No, the success rate isn't amazing. But Paul Onuachu is 4cm taller, and completed 0.6 dribbles p90 last season.

 

That skill is also shown in Woltemade's linkup play too. His first touch is generally excellent, and he's more than capable of executing disguised flicks, getting the ball to teammates first-time in good positions. He's also pretty flexible in using not only both feet to pass, but, again, different parts of each foot. In particular, Woltemade clearly likes the trivela pass on his right foot, and he uses this to make quick stab-like passes which can often catch defenders off guard In general, I like the security he tends to bring in tight spaces. Not just in first-time passes with the feet, but also those with his chest. If you fire the ball into Woltemade under pressure, there's a good chance he can: Bring it under control Lay it off to a team mate in a good position

 

Don't believe me, as he only got 2 assists in the Bundesliga last season? Well, Woltemade may only have got 2 assists, but that was from an expected assisted-goal total of 4.6! Only two players in the Bundesliga were let down by their teammates, so to speak, more than Woltemade. This is a great moment to mention how often Woltemade scans. I looooove his awareness, both before he receives a pass, and afterrwards. He's constantly checking both shoulders, and I find that helps him in various ways. When he's getting on the ball with his back to goal, he has a good idea of if and where there's space behind him he can run into. It means he can quickly transition from receiving -> running at goal When he's around the box, back to a defender, he's scanning to the wings to see where he's going to pass the ball too. This means he can often set team mates up with a first time pass When he's carrying the ball forward, I again think Woltemade shows good awareness of runners around him, helping find the right option on the attack

 

Take all of these skillful and psychological qualities, and you have a pretty fun player. Add in freakish size, and you have something pretty special - although, that's still a work in progress... I went through early-season footage as well as later matches of Woltemade, and I think I made a fun observation. For most of the season, Woltemade was often reliant on just being the biggest and strongest guy on the pitch. Sure, a defender could get close to him when he's dribbling with the ball; they'd often end up on the floor as they tried to make a tackle, with Woltemade unharmed.

 

Also, when receiving a pass, he wouldn't care that much about getting very tight with the defender. Sure, they might be able to hook a foot around at times, but he's just so wide that it's hard to do even that. But the point is, despite his size, he didn't actually use it that well. Someone like Lautaro Martinez for example, did and probably does more to actually protect the ball, bully defenders etc, than Woltemade. That's not an insult: Martinez is great. But it's just to illustrate the point. In recent matches though, I think Woltemade has enhanced his ability to deal with pressure by adding in more technique. Particularly, the use of his arms. He's more likely to use them to keep defenders at bay now. Say, when he's receiving with his back to goal, he's more likely to turn side-on, with one arm pinning the CB further away from the ball, improving the protection of it. It's a nice sign of improvement.

 

I will say, as a transition into the negatives, it's still not quite excellent. I had a good conversation with @Cookies and Cream Consoomer about Woltemade's reliance on his size and lack of an ability to actually use it. We just disagreed on how much it can be improved upon, and there is no right answer here. But keep that debate in mind, because it may shape your outlook on Woltemade's future career.

 

Negatives So much talk on a striker, and we're yet to get to goalscoring? We've seen this script before ...Or have we? I think Woltemade, is going to score a lot of goals in future. I think him scoring 10 in the league this season is a pretty fair return - and that rises to 17 including penalties across all comps! However, he's an unconventional ST. I think that's good in some ways, and doesn't need to change. But there is room to improve... It's important to understand first how Woltemade is scoring goals. In general terms: He takes most of his shots from central positions All but 1 (!) across all comps came from inside the box Most come with his right foot, or his head Those that are taken with his foot are done in a very repetitive fashion On that last point: Woltemade almost exclusively wants to place shots with the inside of his foot.

 

This isn't necessarily a bad thing. For starters, Woltemade is very composed in front of goal. There are some delightful finishes this season where he nonchalantly chips the ball over an onrushing GK, or just calmly places it hard into the top corner. He's also pretty good at hitting shots first-time on the cut back. This is a really difficult skill to master, and I wouldn't say he's as efficient in these scenarios as Jonathan David, but Woltemade is still a danger on the cut back

 

To put this in other, nerdier, words: when it comes to high xG chances, close to goal, Woltemade is dangerous. However, this reliance on one technique does mean Woltemade's curve of effectiveness begins to quickly taper off, the further away you get from goal. He can hit it with his laces - he just prefers to place it. Obviously, that decision comes with a lack of power, which often leaves shots easy to save for the GK. Remember I said Woltemade struggled at Werder? I think this is why. They had the second-fewest touches in the final third in the Bundesliga in 2023-24, and Woltemade was getting just 4 touches in the box p90 compared to 8 at Stuttgart. His NPxG per shot was at 0.11 - it's currently at 0.17 Basically, I think Woltemade hasn't got the range to take advantage of lower xG chances, but is ruthless when it comes to higher xG chances. Or, in other words, he might be better at elite sides who dominate the ball rather than weak sides.

 

Then again, he is capable of creating these big chances for himself. There's a stunning goal scored against Wolfsburg where he drives through the heart of the defence, before placing it in the bottom corner. His dribbling can come in clutch here. So, I don't think this is a bad thing - just important context! What is holding Woltemade back though, is his movement. I think he's far too quick to drop for a cutback, and I rarely see him looking to make a forward run to the near post. It's not ideal for your No 9 to act this way, and I'd really like to see him vary his movement next season.

 

The other area he can improve extends to outside of the penalty box. Believe it or not, it's Woltemade's ability in the air. Yes, he's a giant. However, in 2023-24 he posted a win rate of below 40%. This season, it was barely above that Now, this of course is going to come down to simple volume. He's battling for a lot of long balls, often those where he's not got the advantage. However, I do think Woltemade is once again guilty of just relying on physicality here, rather than using technique to gain an edge. Let's say he's receiving a long goal kick. What you'd want to do here is detect the flight path of the ball, then push the defender behind you backwards so the ball is dropping on to you. Woltemade just doesn't do this enough. I actually think he's remarkably bad at pushing defenders around. This is why I made the Lautaro Martinez comment before. Not only that, but his accuracy isn't brilliant either. He's only scored one header last season. He gets really good power, but, he tends to just direct headers straight-on, so they go wide of the goal. I'd like to see him twist and aim for the corners more.

 

There are some other minor weaknesses worth mentioning. Woltemade is getting better at passing, but he's still guilty of overhitting through balls. This seemed like a big problem at Werder. He can also overestimate his dribbling ability. Woltemade is skillful, but he's not got the burst of a winger, so sometimes just runs straight into a tackle. The biggest mental weakness though, is just how long it takes him to shoot! There's been too many occasions looking through his highlights in the box, where Woltemade has multiple chances to pull the trigger...but keeps carrying the ball forward. Sure, he's capable of rounding the keeper and resisting pressure ; but I just think this too often results in Woltemade's eventual shot either A). Coming from a tight angle or B). Getting blocked.

 

Verdict I really, really like Nick Woltemade. I'll post my notebook below, and you'll see that the dribbling section for Woltemade was almost entirely green, haha. Perhaps I am bias in that respect, because he's easy to love. Big man who can dribble throught tight spaces...come on! It's awesome to watch However, I do think Woltemade is going to become a very effective striker for an elite side. I know he's only been at Stuttgart a year, but I can envisage a big-six Premier League side pulling the trigger on him. There's a really unique, impressive foundation to work with. And, depending on your opinion on how much he can improve on his weaknesses, you may have a superstar on your hands

 

 

[Holmesy]

The cartel are going to be fucking fuming. Didn’t see this one coming did you, you corrupt cunts!

[sushimonster85]

Just now, Holmesy said:

The cartel are going to be fucking fuming. Didn’t see this one coming did you, you corrupt cunts!

 

Don't jinx it just yet, nothing is signed yet. Still time for Chelsea to swoop.

[mouldy_uk]

13 minutes ago, wyn davies said:

Money makes him pretty for the lasses.

Anthony Gordon Likes this 

[mouldy_uk]

2 minutes ago, sushimonster85 said:

 

Don't jinx it just yet, nothing is signed yet. Still time for Chelsea to swoop.