Nick Woltemade Scores First Goal for Juventus in Europa League
Nick Woltemade had barely finished listening to his coach’s challenge when he finally answered it on the pitch.
Minutes before the tall German forward scored his first goal for Juventus, Luciano Spalletti had gone public with both a plea and a warning – to Woltemade and to his rival Randal Kolo Muani. He wanted more from them. He also wanted options.
“He was not particularly fit when he arrived. He still needs to be built up. We have to let him play. He and Kolo Muani can also play together,” Spalletti said before kick-off of the Europa League clash with NEC Nijmegen. Then came the sting: “But during the game I need a real alternative in attack.”
The message landed. Hard.
Juve then dismantled the Dutch side 5-0, and both strikers finally broke their drought. Woltemade, starting for the first time since his summer loan move from Newcastle United, buried a penalty to make it 3-0. Kolo Muani, sent on from the bench, rounded off the rout with the fifth. Two forwards under scrutiny, two first goals of the season, one satisfied coach on the touchline.
For Woltemade, the relief was obvious. Only days earlier, sections of the Italian press had turned on him after Juve’s first defeat of the season, a 3-2 loss to US Sassuolo. La Gazzetta dello Sport had summed up the mood with a blunt assessment: “He still has a lot to learn and must get used to the level of the Italian league.”
On Thursday night, he finally had the stage to respond.
A penalty, a gesture, and a turning point
The key moment arrived in the 35th minute. Juventus were already in control when the referee pointed to the spot. Normally, Nico Gonzalez might have taken it himself. Instead, the Argentinian made a point of handing the responsibility to his under-fire teammate.
Gonzalez pressed the ball firmly into Woltemade’s hands, gave the German’s hair a playful ruffle, and stepped back. It was a small act, but a loud one. Spalletti applauded from the technical area. The rest of the side closed in around their centre-forward.
Woltemade converted. Simple, calm, clinical. The kind of penalty that looks routine but can shift a season.
He stayed on the pitch for 83 minutes, another clear sign that Spalletti’s stance is changing. Only a short time ago, after the Sassuolo defeat, the coach had suggested that not much would change for the 24-year-old until he reached the right fitness level. Against Nijmegen, he trusted him to lead the line for almost the entire game.
The timing is important. Atalanta Bergamo await on Sunday, a far sterner test than NEC. Woltemade has taken a step towards the “top form” Spalletti keeps demanding, and he has done it just as the fixture list tightens.
From Newcastle frustration to Juve opportunity
This first goal in black and white also closes, at least for a moment, a difficult chapter in Woltemade’s club career.
Newcastle paid more than 75 million euros to bring him to the Premier League, then rarely used him. He travelled to the World Cup under Julian Nagelsmann with Germany, but his lack of minutes in England left him on the fringes. Even the arrival of German coach Matthias Jaissle at Newcastle did not significantly change his role.
Woltemade had already explored alternatives, even holding talks with VfB Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeneß. The solution eventually came from Turin: a loan to Juventus, a reset, a chance to play his way back into rhythm in Serie A.
Spalletti has been careful not to rush him. He has repeatedly underlined the need to “build him up” physically, to make sure the striker can handle the demands of his system. The Nijmegen performance, with a goal and a long shift, suggests that process is finally gathering speed.
Klopp’s call and the next decision
The night brought another twist. On the very day Woltemade scored his first goal for Juventus, his name appeared in Jürgen Klopp’s second Germany squad.
The new national coach has called him up for the Nations League fixtures against Serbia on 1 October and Greece on 4 October. It is not a guarantee of a starting role, but it is a clear signal: Germany are still watching him closely, even after his struggles in England.
That presents Spalletti with an intriguing choice.
He can act immediately and start Woltemade alongside Kolo Muani against Atalanta, testing the partnership he has spoken about in public. Or he can hold that idea back until after the extended international break, allowing his striker to return from Germany duty with more minutes, more confidence, and perhaps another goal or two behind him.
For now, Woltemade has what he lacked at Newcastle: trust, a goal, and a path into the team. The question is no longer whether he belongs at this level.
It’s how quickly he can turn this breakthrough into something permanent.
