Woltemade breaks silence after ‘idiot’ comments from Bayern Munich over €75m Newcastle transfer

Nick Woltemade has responded to the comments made by Bayern Munich officials calling Newcastle ‘idiots’ for spending €75 million on the German international this summer.

Woltemade became Newcastle’s biggest signing in August, having seen Bayern baulk at Stuttgart’s asking price for the 23-year-old and leading to the German side’s board member, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, criticising the fee paid for the striker.

However, Woltemade has already scored six goals for the Magpies this season and the club’s new number nine played down any controversy surrounding the comments.

“My teammates commented on it, I didn’t,” Woltemade told BILD. “I think that was the right thing to do. A lot was made of my name, Bayern, and transfer fee during the summer; that was the story of the summer.

“To answer your question: the headlines everywhere said ‘idiots’, but I read Mr. Rummenigge’s entire statement – it was certainly somewhat unfortunate, but not quite so dramatic.

“When I arrived at the national team, everyone congratulated me. Bayern players also congratulated me. When they see a player taking a step forward, you get congratulations.

“That was the case for me too. There were no negative comments [from Bayern players], especially since my circumstances were special.”

Woltemade proving doubters wrong for Newcastle and Germany

Woltemade has proven to be a revelation for both club and country in the past 12 months, having previously had a small reputation after joining Stuttgart on a free transfer from Werder Bremen in 2024.

The 6 foot 6 inch forward had an impressive scoring run in the second half of last season which saw him finish the campaign with 17 goals in all competitions and lead to interest from Bayern.

However, Newcastle pounced to make Woltemade their biggest ever signing in August amid Alexander Isak’s British transfer record move to Liverpool, leaving Bayern stunned, although the Bundesliga giants are still reportedly considering pursuing him in the future.

Woltemade made his debut for Germany in May and has since accrued seven caps, scoring three times, including a brace against Luxembourg this week.

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