Nick Woltemade Shines in Juventus Victory Over NEC Nijmegen

Nick Woltemade had barely wiped the relief from his face when it became clear: Luciano Spalletti’s public challenge had landed perfectly.

Minutes before Woltemade’s first goal in a Juventus shirt, the coach had gone in front of the cameras and laid out his stance on the German and his attacking rival, Randal Kolo Muani. No hiding, no soft edges.

“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 adding the line that really mattered to his forwards: “But during the game I need a real alternative in attack.”

Then came the response on the pitch.

Juventus crushed NEC Nijmegen 5-0 in the Europa League, a statement win that doubled as a personal reset for both Woltemade and Kolo Muani. The Germany international, starting for the first time since his summer loan move from Newcastle United, stepped up to the spot in the 35th minute and buried the penalty for 3-0. Kolo Muani, brought on later, added the fifth. Two strikers, two first goals of the season, one satisfied coach.

For Woltemade, it felt like a small storm clearing.

Only days earlier, parts 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 summed up the mood with a cold assessment: “He still has a lot to learn and must get used to the level of the Italian league.” Harsh words for a 24-year-old still trying to find his legs in Turin.

Against Nijmegen, he finally got the kind of night every new signing craves.

It was his first start in black and white, and the key moment carried a touch of dressing-room humanity. When Juventus won the penalty, Nico Gonzalez didn’t hesitate. The Argentinian, who once wore the VfB Stuttgart shirt, grabbed the ball and pressed it firmly into Woltemade’s hands, then ruffled his hair in a clear show of trust. Spalletti applauded from the touchline. The rest of the team gathered round. A small ritual, but a loud message: you belong here.

This was not the plan a week earlier. After the Sassuolo defeat, Spalletti had hinted that Woltemade’s role would not change much in the short term. The forward, he insisted, first had to reach the physical level required. Yet against Nijmegen, the coach left him out there for 83 minutes. A long, important run-out in his hunt for sharpness, with Atalanta Bergamo looming on Sunday.

Decision Time

Now Spalletti has a real decision to make.

He can double down on his own words and start Woltemade alongside Kolo Muani, turning that “they can play together” line into reality. Or he can hold him back slightly, let the confidence from this night simmer and grow over the coming weeks, especially with an unusually long international break on the horizon.

That break could be pivotal for Woltemade. On the very day he scored his first goal for Juventus, 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. Another door opening, another chance to claw back momentum in a career that has stalled more than once in the past year.

Woltemade was already part of Julian Nagelsmann’s World Cup squad, a sign of how highly he was rated. The problem came after his big-money move to Newcastle United, a transfer worth more than 75 million euros that never really ignited. Playing time dried up. His status shrank. Even the arrival of a German coach in Matthias Jaissle did not change his standing at the club.

He had even explored options back in Germany, speaking with VfB coach Sebastian Hoeneß. In the end, the escape route ran through Turin. A loan to Juventus, a demanding league, a coach who is not shy about his expectations.

One penalty, one goal, one night of applause does not rewrite a career. But it can tilt its direction.

On Sunday, against Atalanta, we will start to find out which way it’s turning.