Newcastle United criticised for deadline day deal – Signs of no plan

Newcastle United’s decision to send out Nick Woltemade to Juventus on deadline day has not gone down well in Germany.

SWR cover the transfer today, with journalist Johann Schicklinski unimpressed by the whole affair or the striker’s move to Newcastle in the first place.

Newcastle United disaster

He starts his piece by hitting out at Deadline Day in general, labelling it as nothing more than Football Manager come to life. He feels the last-minute deal sending Nick Woltemade from Newcastle United to Juventus is an example of that.

That transfer was almost lost in the noise, but the reality is that he as ‘offloaded’ by Newcastle. That in itself is surprising as it suggest they had no use for a player who had been worth up €85m for them not long ago.

The ‘exorbitant’ fee they paid to sign him last summer is now almost forgotten. But Schicklinski argues that it was a sign that football business is no longer about sustainable development but ‘short-term profit’.

It was certainly enough for the striker to trade his “dream of playing for VfB Stuttgart” to “take the next step” at Newcastle.

Worst Premier League transfer ever

The striker has been labelled the worst transfer in Premier League history by some. According to Schicklinski this ‘took a toll on the sensitive Woltemade’.

Last season he seemed a shadow of himself and that was demonstrated by a horrible short appearance at the World Cup which saw him miss a penalty.

Now Newcastle have no further use for him. Schicklinski argues it is questionable whether there was ever a ‘concrete plan’ for Nick Woltemade in the first place.

A fresh start awaits at Juventus, but the pressure will be on from the beginning. It remains to be seen if his style of play fits in with Serie A. The fact he’s missed pre-season, as he did at Newcastle, won’t help on that front.

Schicklinski argues that leaving Stuttgart after just a year was a ‘serious mistake’. If he’d stayed, he would have played in Europe under a coach who trusts him and who helped develop him. A move would have come in two- or three-years time anyway.

But instead, he chose short-term over long-term. Now he’s unwanted at Newcastle United, loaned out to Juventus and a perfect example of what is wrong with modern football.

At least if Schicklinski is to be believed.