Nick Woltemade Shines with First Goal for Juventus

Nick Woltemade had barely finished listening to his coach’s pointed message when the chance to answer it arrived.

On a cool Europa League night in Turin, with Juventus already in full command against NEC Nijmegen, Luciano Spalletti had made his stance crystal clear. Woltemade, he said, was still a work in progress.

“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 explained before kick-off, then added the line that cut to the heart of the issue: “But during the game I need a real alternative in attack.”

By the end of a 5-0 win, both of his strikers had delivered exactly that.

From scrutiny to relief

Woltemade, on loan from Newcastle United, walked into this game under pressure. Italian papers had already taken aim at the 24-year-old after Juve’s first defeat of the season, a 3-2 loss to US Sassuolo. La Gazzetta dello Sport summed up the scepticism: “He still has a lot to learn and must get used to the level of the Italian league.”

This was his first start for the club. His first real audition. And it came with the noise of a €75 million move to Newcastle still echoing in the background and the memory of too many minutes spent on the bench in England.

The turning point arrived in the 35th minute.

Juventus had a penalty. Nico Gonzalez picked up the ball, then made a statement of his own. The Argentinian, once of VfB Stuttgart, deliberately pressed the ball into Woltemade’s hands, ruffled his hair and stepped back. No debate. No hesitation. The message was obvious: this one is yours.

Spalletti applauded on the touchline. The rest of the team gathered around. Woltemade buried the spot-kick for 3-0 – his first goal for Juventus, and his first of the season. The celebration carried more relief than roar, but it mattered. A lot.

He stayed on for 83 minutes, an important stretch in his push towards the fitness level Spalletti keeps demanding. If the early weeks in Turin were about waiting and watching from the bench, this was a night to finally feel like part of the side.

Kolo Muani joins in

The coach’s pre-match appeal was not just aimed at Woltemade. Randal Kolo Muani, his rival and potential partner up front, also came under the spotlight.

When the Frenchman came on, he made sure his own response was just as emphatic. Kolo Muani struck Juve’s fifth, also his first goal of the season, and turned what had been a comfortable win into a statement scoreline.

Spalletti had asked for “a real alternative in attack”. He suddenly looked to have two.

Club form, country call

The timing could hardly be more delicate for Woltemade. While he fights for rhythm and trust in Turin, his international story is moving again.

On the very day he scored his first Juventus goal, Jürgen Klopp named him in Germany’s second squad for the upcoming Nations League fixtures against Serbia on 1 October and Greece on 4 October. A familiar name, but still an unfinished chapter.

Woltemade had already made it to Julian Nagelsmann’s World Cup squad, yet his lack of playing time at Newcastle left him on the fringes. The arrival of German coach Matthias Jaissle on Tyneside did not change that. Even talks involving VfB coach Sebastian Hoeneß could not unlock a bigger role. The answer, in the end, was the loan move to Juventus.

Now, after Sassuolo, Spalletti had hinted that little would change quickly for the forward; that he first had to hit the physical standards required. Against NEC Nijmegen, Woltemade offered a different argument, not with words but with an 83-minute shift and a calmly taken penalty.

A decision looming for Spalletti

Next up is Atalanta Bergamo on Sunday, and with it a real selection dilemma.

Spalletti can take the plunge and start Woltemade alongside Kolo Muani, turning his pre-match theory about the pair into reality. Or he can hold back, use the XXL international break as a buffer, and let the German return from Nations League duty with even more confidence and sharpness in his legs.

For now, one thing has changed. Woltemade is no longer just the expensive loanee short of fitness, the forward being dissected in the columns of La Gazzetta. He is a goalscorer for Juventus, a name again on Germany’s squad list, and a striker forcing his way into the conversation.

The question now is not whether he will get his chance.

It is how long Spalletti dares to wait before building his attack around him.