“I can only congratulate Stuttgart, because they found an idiot who agreed to pay so much money, because we certainly wouldn’t do that in Munich.” Karl-Heinz Rummenige, advisor to Bayern Munich, made this statement at the end of September.
In an interview with Bavarian broadcaster BR Fernsehen, he referred to Newscastle having paid close to 65 million pounds (R$474 million) to Bayern’s rival in the German first division for center forward Nick Woltemade, 23.
Bayern had its eye on the 1.98 m big man, who in the 2024/2025 season, in 33 matches for Stuttgart (Bundesliga plus German Cup), scored 17 goals and made three assists (passes that resulted in a goal).
As a player, striker Rummenige was one of Bayern’s greatest idols, for whom he played from 1974 to 1984. For the German national team, he played in two World Cup finals (Spain-1982 and Mexico-1986). They were defeated in both, in the first by Paolo Rossi’s Italy (3-1), in the second by Diego Maradona’s Argentina (3-2, scoring a goal).
I admired Rummenige’s football of speed and precision in finishing – he was one of the great players I saw play when I started following football, along with Zico, Sócrates, Maradona, Platini.
Precision that he glaringly lacked now, when talking about Woltemade (pronounced Vôltemáde).
Rummenige bet big that Newcastle would be immediately disappointed with Woltemade. The opposite happened, and the speech about the idiot turned against the speaker.
For this season, in addition to Newcastle, three English clubs have invested more than 60 million pounds in foreign strikers. Manchester United, with Slovenian Sesko and Brazilian Matheus Cunha, Liverpool, with Frenchman Ekitiké and Swedish Isak, and Arsenal, with Swedish Gyökeres.
Newcastle lost Isak to Liverpool, pocketing £125 million, twice the amount spent to get Woltemade.
And, so far, at the beginning of the season, which athlete has given the most return? Himself: Woltemade. In seven games, including the English Championship, Champions League and English League Cup, he scored seven goals, an average of 0.57 per game.
Ekitiké, 23, is the closest: five goals in ten games. Isak, 26, scored just one goal in six appearances. Gyökeres, 27, has three goals in ten games, and Sesko, 22, two in eight. Matheus Cunha, 26, is out of seven matches.
Woltemade has been praised, in addition to his balls in the net, for his quick understanding of coach Eddie Howe’s scheme, his disposition on the field and his determination to help the defense – his height is especially useful in opponents’ set pieces, in aerial crosses.
Howe minimized Rummenige’s speech, stating that transfer fees are dictated by the market, and striker Gordon, Newscastle’s number 10, called the Bayern representative’s statement “stupid”. Both the coach and the team seem satisfied with the reinforcement.
On the Stuttgart side, in an interview with the German tabloid Bild, Alexander Wehrle, the club’s CEO, responded with humor and irony to Rummenige: “We are always happy with greetings from Munich.”
The reality is that Woltemade, Germany’s starting center forward, has been working at Newcastle. The choice hasn’t been anything stupid so far.
Was it expensive? This is relative. In comparison to other signings, no. For a club and its fans, it is priceless to feel that the investment was worth it.
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