Nick Woltemade told to 'take a leaf out of Florian Wirtz's book' as ex-Bayern Munich manager highlights positives and negatives of joining Bundesliga champions

Yahoo

8 hours ago

Magath wants Woltemade to learn from Wirtz
Stuttgart man on Bayern's radar
Coach urges Germany U21 star to be patient
WHAT HAPPENED?
Former Stuttgart and Bayern head coach Magath had words of advice for the young Woltemade. The 71-year-old former West Germany international pointed to Wirtz, who made a British record move from Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool last month, urging Woltemade to not rush his decisions and prioritise on his footballing development.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Woltemade has only had two full seasons in the top-flight, with the 2024-25 season with Stuttgart his breakout year. In the 2023-24 season, the 23-year-old made 30 league appearances with Werder Bremen and scored two goals before arriving in the limelight last season by scoring 17 goals in 33 games in all competitions for Stuttgart. His exploits at the European U21 Championship, in which Germany lost the final to England, have grabbed the attention of Bayern Munich. They have already reached a personal agreement with the player over a summer move, though Stuttgart do not want to sell, and Magath has some words of advice for the forward.
WHAT FELIX MAGATH SAID
Speaking to Sky Sport in Germany, Magath said: "I can certainly understand that, and it's obviously the right approach for FC Bayern Munich to bring in an interesting, young, German player, since the big transfer of Florian Wirtz didn't come to fruition. That's not good for the Bundesliga , and it wasn't good for FC Bayern. In my opinion, the strategic decision is the right one.
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"But whether and to what extent a player who has played one season in the Bundesliga is already at the point where he can strengthen FC Bayern Munich is a question that will be decided on the coach's back, whether and how he can integrate him.
"He's not a finished player yet. My concern is that all this hype will put a strain on him – and that he might not be able to properly assess things and will have difficulty maintaining his consistent performance next season.
"I take my hat off to Florian Wirtz, who, in my opinion, has done very, very well. Unlike many others, he has completed his development at Leverkusen. From a sporting perspective, I completely understand that, and perhaps such a young player should take a leaf out of his book. If [Woltemade] were to complete his development in Stuttgart for another year or two, he would still have enough time to earn even more money at Bayern or elsewhere."
WHAT NEXT?
WHAT NEXT?
It remains to be seen if Bayern can succeed in their ambition to sign Woltemade. If reports are to be believed, the Bavarians are ready to offer a five-year deal on a €7.5 million per year (£6.4m/$8.7m) salary, with the potential to rise to €10m. According to Bild, Stuttgart have set an asking price of €60m (£51m/$71m).