Nick Woltemade: The German giant Europe's top clubs are tracking

Yahoo

18 hours ago

When Nick Woltemade takes to the pitch in Germany's second fixture of the u-21 European Championship tonight, he will do so with a comfortable lead in the Golden Boot race.
A hat-trick in Germany's 3-0 win over Slovenia in the opening game has elevated an already in-demand talent further into the consciousness.
Woltemade has had a breakout campaign in 2024/25, helping end Stuttgart's major trophy drought and placing himself on the shortlist of recruiters across Europe. With a unique profile and reputation on the rise, Woltemade is a player to watch this summer.
Stuttgart switch unleashes Woltemade potential
Stuttgart suffered as most over-achievers do last summer. A shock runners-up finish in the Bundesliga in 2023/24, just a season after narrowly avoiding relegation, saw their talented team picked apart. Hiroki Ito moved to Bayern Munich, while Borussia Dortmund swooped to sign Waldemar Anton and Serhou Guirassy. Guirassy's goals had fired Stuttgart's run to Champions League qualification and left a vacancy in Sebastian Hoeneß's attack.
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Deniz Undav's impressive loan was made permanent, while Ermedin Demirovic joined from Augsburg for €21m. Under the radar, Woltemade was picked up from Werder Bremen on a free transfer.
Though a German youth international, Woltemade's career in the Bundesliga had failed to take off. His final season with Werder Bremen brought just 12 league starts and two goals, with the forward opting to take on a new challenge.
Initially, on the fringes, Woltemade did not start any of Stuttgart's opening 12 league games. His first goal arrived as a consolation in a home defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt, before a super sub showing ignited his campaign.
Off the bench at half-time, he scored twice as Stuttgart fought back from two goals down to beat Union Berlin 3-2 in December. He followed that with a goal and assist from the start at Heidenheim and, from there, did not look back.
Woltemade ended the campaign with 12 league goals and added five more to finish as the leading scorer in Stuttgart's DFB-Pokal success. A senior Germany debut arrived in June before Woltemade dropped back into the u-21 side for their European Championship challenge.
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A hat-trick in the opening fixture made it 10 goals in 13 games at that level. A regular senior role beckons. But what has made Woltemade so in demand?
Nick Woltemade and a rare forward profile
At 6ft 6in tall, Woltemade is difficult to miss. But the 23-year-old is far from a cumbersome and limited target man. He's creative, fluid, and deceptively agile. The term good feet for a big man can be overused, but it has rarely been truer than here. In fact, Woltemade has good feet, full stop.
The German ranked in the top 10% of Bundesliga forwards for successful dribbles per 90 last season, and in the top 20% for fouls won. When he gets moving, Woltemade is difficult to stop.
Somewhat surprisingly given his frame, aerial battles are an area of weakness. Woltemade has scored some thunderous headers for club and country but it's a technique that requires work. He won just 44.7% of his aerial duels in the Bundesliga in 2024/25. Given he ranks in the top five percent of players for touches in the opposition box, increasing that number is a clear route to more goal-scoring chances.
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When it comes to efficiency, however, Woltemade impresses. He scored 12 times from an xG of just 10.36 last season, with the German often favouring the optimal moment to shoot. Just one of his 49 shots (2%) came from outside the box, with 54% of his shots finding the target.
In terms of conversion rate, Woltemade scored 24.5% of his shots on goal in 2024/25, the highest of any Bundesliga player to score 10+ goals.
For comparison, Harry Kane converted 22.8% of his shots and Serhou Guirassy 23.1% of his. In a side that creates more – and better quality – opportunities, Woltemade could elevate those numbers higher.
Which clubs are chasing Woltemade this summer?
It's a summer in which it feels as if almost every side is chasing a goalscorer. The centre-forward pool is deep but fraught with question marks.
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Victor Osimhen, Viktor Gyokeres, Benjamin Sesko, Hugo Ekitike, Jonathan David. All are in demand. All have elements of risk. Woltemade's emergence has added another option to the list.
Chelsea, West Ham and Everton are among the Premier League sides who have taken note, while Atletico Madrid have been named as admirers in Spain.
Bayern Munich, perhaps predictably, have also been put in the frame. With Harry Kane set to turn 32 this summer and Mathys Tel moving on to Tottenham, an additional forward could be sought. Woltemade, with his rare combination of towering frame and guile on the ball, is a fascinating profile.
With a reported price tag of just €40m, it's a deal that could make plenty of sense for no shortage of suitors.
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