Juventus head coach Luciano Spalletti has described new signing Nick Woltemade with a colorful analogy, comparing the German striker to a Friesian horse. The assessment came after Woltemade's debut for the Turin club against AC Milan.
Woltemade entered the match in the 75th minute with Juventus trailing 1-0. Although he missed a late chance to equalize, he later won a free-kick that led to Federico Gatti's dramatic equalizer, securing a point for Juventus.
"What type of horse is he? I have a Friesian, he seems very similar to me," Spalletti told Tuttosport. "He is statuesque, he inspires a bit of fear from a physical point of view and then he is very sweet and lets himself be stroked and ridden."
The Juventus boss elaborated on the comparison, noting the horse's physical presence and gentle nature. "He becomes very good also in relations with his teammates. He’s good at holding his own physically, and ever since I met him, he’s been smiling constantly. He’s so happy to be here, and that’s already a big thing."
Woltemade joined Juventus on a season-long loan from Newcastle for £3.5 million. Spalletti praised the player's technical abilities, highlighting his versatility.
"With Nick you can play the ball on his feet, he knows how to play horizontally and can also be used vertically because he has this physicality and this height. Usually it is difficult to find these two worlds in the same player," Spalletti said. "The two-metre-tall one is a finisher perhaps in the area but then he is less relational on the pitch, but instead he has both things and then he has this great quality of being very joyful and very festive also in the way he behaves on the pitch."
Woltemade had a strong start to his Premier League career with Newcastle last season, scoring four goals in his first five games, but his scoring rate declined in the latter half of the season.
Spalletti acknowledged that Woltemade may need time to adapt to a new league, but expressed optimism about the player's potential contribution. "I can help him in the pressure he will encounter at this club, even if we start with an advantage because he has the same colours he wore in the previous team (Newcastle)," he stated. "I told him that we were waiting for a player of this level and this quality. He brings with him the context of the Premier League, where everything is more physical, faster, and more determined in terms of game situations. Bringing a bit of Premier League into our team raises our level. We're happy."
Newcastle signed winger Matias Fernandez-Pardo for £51.4m on deadline day but did not replace Woltemade with another out-and-out striker.