Former Newcastle United scout Paul Montgomery has said Nick Woltemade is not the ‘DNA of a Newcastle number nine’.
Woltemade signed for Newcastle from Stuttgart in the summer in a club-record £69m deal. The German arrived as a replacement for Alexander Isak, having scored 17 goals for Stuttgart in all competitions last season, before winning the Golden Boot at the u-21 European Championship in the summer.
Woltemade has scored just seven goals in the Premier League this season and has faded following a bright start at St James’ Park. He has failed to score in the league in his last seven appearances, last netting with a double against Chelsea on December 20th.
Montgomery, who first saw Woltemade at u-19 level, has said the 23-year-old is better suited to a deeper role. He questioned whether Woltemade or fellow signing Yoane Wissa are the right player to be Newcastle’s chief goal threat.
“In my head, he’s never been a number nine,” Mongomery told BBC Sport.
“I remember eye-balling him when he was a young player for the Germany under-19s and he was an offensive midfield player. He’s not the DNA of a Newcastle number nine.
That has been the main kind of position at a Newcastle United scenario, going through Shearer, Macdonald, Ferdinand, Cole. It’s always been the number nine. What I was trying to say is neither Woltemade or (Yoane) Wissa are a DNA Newcastle number nine.”
