Fabio Capello has questioned how Newcastle United used Nick Woltemade, saying the club failed to cross the ball for the 6ft 6in striker. The former England manager was speaking after Woltemade joined Juventus on loan from Newcastle on deadline day, with the arrangement running until the end of the 2026/27 season and containing no recall clause.
Woltemade's loan and Newcastle's system
Woltemade was told he would not fit into Newcastle's system this season under Matthias Jaissle, and had he stayed he would have been down the pecking order. Newcastle chiefs made clear that without Woltemade's exit, Matias Fernandez-Pardo's £51million move from Lille would not have been possible.
The Germany international has scored twice in the Europa League since joining Juventus but is yet to get off the mark in Serie A. Last season at Newcastle, under Eddie Howe, he had a good start with nine goals in the first half of the campaign but struggled from the turn of the year, having been used in a deep-lying role.
Capello's advice and Muani's view
Capello, who worked with big physical strikers like Gabriel Batistuta and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, told Tuttomercatoweb: "I saw a striker who can fit at Juventus, but he needs a player around who moves. He can hold the ball, he can be a point of reference. I don’t understand why they’ve never crossed it in for him, with someone so big up front. The ball doesn’t just have to head it, it can also hit him."
Juventus team-mate Kolo Muani also offered the key to getting the best out of Woltemade. Muani said: "The coach said at half-time that we have a lot of the ball and needed to get it into the area with crosses, as there were bodies in the box, so when Woltemade came on, there were more occasions and it was much better than the first half, but we can still do better. When Nick comes inside, he is big, can hold up the ball and worry the defenders, so it gives me more freedom to move around, get the ball, it is much better for me."
Upcoming clash with Lazio
Having scored his first from open play in the 2-1 win over Celta Vigo in the Europa League in midweek, Woltemade and his team-mates now face Lazio in Turin tonight. The game is regarded as a six-pointer with Juventus in seventh spot and second-placed Lazio threatening to establish an eight-point cushion over them.
