Everton have been linked with a potential transfer move for VfB Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade
Nick Woltemade has been linked with a transfer to Everton. But what might the player potentially bring to David Moyes’ side?
Julian Agardi of BILD says that the VfB Stuttgart man, valued at over €40million, is being pursued by Brighton & Hove Albion plus Everton – who he says have enquired about him – along with Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich.
The 23-year-old, who has netted seven times in 12 internationals for Germany’s Under-21s side, has enjoyed a breakthrough season, finding the net on 12 occasions in 24 matches for Stuttgart, who currently sit 10th out of the 18 clubs in the German top flight.
Starting his career with home city club Werder Bremen, Woltemade, who operates primarily as a second striker, scored just twice in 51 senior appearances, with both those goals coming in his 30 games last season having returned from loan spell at third tier SV Elversberg, where he netted 17 times in 35 matches.
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Standing 6ft 6in – the same height as Everton defender Jake O’Brien – Woltemade joined Stuttgart on a free transfer last summer and has proven to be a revelation at the Neckarstadion this term.
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Using Comparisonator’s Virtual Transfer tool, Woltemade, with an A.I. Suitability Weight of 233.69, is calculated as being a better fit for Moyes’ men than either incumbent striker Beto (185.01) or Dominic Calvert-Lewin (210.17) who was first choice before his hamstring injury.
The German is also deemed more suitable than the frontmen playing for Manchester United, Fulham, West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leicester City, Southampton and Darwin Nunez (160.4) at table-topping neighbours Liverpool. Using the same tool, we are also able to correlate Woltemade’s statistics in the Bundesliga this season against Premier League players in his position.
He seemingly relishes a one-on-one battle as not only does he contest more duels (26.5) than the English top-flight leader, which tellingly is Calvert-Lewin (23.32), he wins more (8.5), ahead of Jarrod Bowen of West Ham United (8.47), who is in top spot in the Premier League. Despite his great height, it’s ground duels where the Stuttgart man dominates though, with 17.57 contested (ahead of Luis Diaz of Liverpool on 15.75) and 14.86 won (ahead of Joao Pedro of Brighton & Hove Albion on 10.89).
When it comes to goals per 90 minutes, with an average of 0.5, Woltemade would rank fifth in the Premier League in a category topped by Alexander Isak of Newcastle United (0.76), but again, his stature could be deceptive as none of them so far have been headers. He’d lead the way for shots on target percentage (76%), which is a higher figure than top-flight leader Jorgen Strand Larsen of Wolverhampton Wanderers (74%), and come in fifth for expected assists (0.13, with leader Bowen on 0.24); fifth for shot assists (0.93, with leader Diaz on 1.75); fifth for dribbling in the final third of the pitch (2.36 with leader Bowen on 3); sixth for successful dribbles (1.43 with leader Diaz on 2.25), and ninth for expected goals (xG) on 0.41, which is a section led by Erling Haaland of Manchester City (0.71).
Woltemade also looks tidy in possession given that he’d be fifth for successful progressive passes percentage (79% with leader Diaz on 86%). His average of 9.71 successful passes in the opposition half would place him seventh in the Premier League (with leader Diaz on 19); a position he would also occupy for successful link-up plays (2.14, with leader Diaz on 4.17).
With Everton having allowed a clause that would have triggered a one-year extension in Abdoulaye Doucoure’s contract to lapse and the 32-year-old currently set to become a free agent this summer alongside no fewer than a dozen team-mates and admitting: “I don’t know what’s going to come next,” there could be an opening in the Blues’ squad in Woltemade’s area of the pitch.
While Moyes has a track record of bringing in hungry, young players and he fits the bill in that category, he is also eager to have some proven Premier League performers, which Woltemade is not and for all his rapid progress this season, his past record does make the quoted price tag appear somewhat hefty.
