Nick Woltemade: The Physical Outlier

After a turbulent summer that has seen Newcastle United miss out on priority striker targets such as João Pedro, Hugo Ekitike, and Benjamin Šeško, the Magpies turned their attention to a different profile altogether in VfB Stuttgart forward Nick Woltemade. The 6-foot-6 23-year-old has enjoyed a rapid rise through the Bundesliga, breaking into the German national team setup on the back of his technical quality and finishing prowess. Unlike the more explosive forwards Newcastle failed to land, Woltemade has frequently operated as a second striker, meaning he would face an adjustment period in Eddie Howe’s demanding 4-3-3 system, where leading the line with physical intensity is non-negotiable. While there is no doubt he has the size and technical ability, this piece will assess how Woltemade’s physical output compares to the strikers Newcastle narrowly missed out on this summer.

This data set looks at the 2024/25 domestic league season and is purely a look at how each player performed in certain physical metrics. There are always some caveats when looking at physical data, such as system and demands when playing in different countries, so please bear that in mind. Also, every player is not the same, there will always be physical outliers in football and that should be celebrated.

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Athleticism Score

Our Athleticism Score is a single metric that quantifies a player’s physical ability by combining stamina (distance covered) and explosiveness (speed, accelerations, and decelerations) metrics from broadcast tracking data. Each player receives a 0–100 score based on their percentile rank within their position group and is adjusted for whether a player starts or was a substitute, providing fairer comparisons and reflecting observed on-field athleticism relative to players in similar roles. 

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Within this score you can see Newcastle’s targets split into two distinct categories, with Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike placing in the 70th+ percentile, whilst Joao Pedro and Nick Woltemade showing deficiencies in some parts of their physical profiles.

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Max Speed

A key area where Woltemade currently lacks is Max Speed, we calculate this by taking an average of a player’s 5 fastest games across a season, with the Premier League average among CFs in 2024/25 sitting at 33.14 km/h. Woltemade (31.44 km/h) would only sit ahead of Niclas Füllkrug and Mikel Merino in this category, showing that Newcastle may need to adapt their style of play slightly, who are known to break the defensive line with runs in behind from Alexander Isak. Both Joao Pedro (33.61km/h) and Hugo Ekitike (34.35 km/h) sit above the Premier League average among starting CFs and fit the profile of Alexander Isak much better.

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Total Distance

Playing in a number of hybrid roles has helped Woltemade to cover plenty of distance throughout the 2024/25 season; his 9.83km per 90 ranks 1st among all Newcastle targets this season and shows he does have the legs to succeed in the Premier League. 

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High Speed Runs

Woltemade ranks just under the Premier League average for High-speed runs, which is when a player reaches 20-25 km/h, his output is almost identical to that of his predecessor, Alexander Isak. 

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Sprints

Now here’s the possible cause for concern and something the recruitment team at Newcastle must have discussed with Eddie Howe beforehand, does Woltemade have the top end speed to be successful in the Premier League? The positional average for sprints per 90 among starters sits at 22.06, considerably higher than Woltemade’s 16.57, which would place him last among all Premier League CF’s to play 1,000+ minutes in 2024/25.

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Overall the broadcast tracking physical metrics match the eye test for Nick Woltemade, he’s a technically brilliant player, whose 6 foot 6 frame will also help Newcastle in dead ball situations, but it may take him a while to adjust to the physicality and intensity of the Premier League. Newcastle’s deadline day signing of the experienced Yoane Wissa should allow Woltemade to settle into the squad and get him up to speed.

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