Julian Nagelsmann has revealed his concerns over Nick Woltemade’s potential move to Bayern Munich, urging the striker to prioritize regular playing time, rather than the prestige of a top club. With Woltemade eventually sealing a move to Newcastle United after a protracted transfer saga, Nagelsmann emphasized the importance of game time for the player’s career progression.
Julian Nagelsmann, the former Bayern Munich coach, has opened up about his advice to young striker Nick Woltemade during the summer transfer saga that ultimately saw the German forward move to Newcastle United. The 21-year-old was caught in a tug-of-war between his parent club, VfB Stuttgart, and Bayern Munich, with the latter reportedly seeing three bids rejected. Despite the intrigue surrounding the move, Nagelsmann was less concerned with the club Woltemade would join and more focused on the critical factor of regular game time.
Nagelsmann has consistently emphasized the importance of playing time for his players, especially young talent like Woltemade. In a candid interview, he revealed that while he never advised Woltemade directly on where he should move, he urged the striker to make it clear to Bayern that without assurances of significant minutes, a move would be detrimental to his development.
“I think it’s unfortunate on all sides that everything was played out so publicly,” Nagelsmann remarked, reflecting on the drawn-out nature of the saga. “Of course, I gave him some advice—not where he should move, but that players have to play regularly. I didn’t consider a few of the summer transfers to be entirely fortunate because then players go from 100% playing time to 15%. That doesn’t do me much good as a national team coach.”
Despite Bayern Munich’s interest in the young striker, Nagelsmann was keen for Woltemade to prioritize his growth over the allure of a move to one of Europe’s most prestigious clubs. “I told Nick he’s welcome to move to Bayern if he wants to. But he should also make it clear to them that with 25% playing time, things would be tight for him for the World Cup,” Nagelsmann added.
Ultimately, Woltemade opted for a move to Newcastle United, where he is expected to receive more consistent playing time. The protracted nature of the transfer saga, which dominated the media for much of the summer, left many frustrated, but it appears the decision was in Woltemade’s best interest for his immediate development and potential World Cup aspirations.
With Nagelsmann focusing on ensuring his players are match-fit ahead of key international fixtures, Woltemade’s move to Newcastle could well provide him the platform he needs to break into Germany’s World Cup squad, should he continue to feature regularly for the Premier League club.
