Nick Woltemade: The ‘two-metre Messi’ who wants to be like Kane

German football expert Matt Ford explains how Nick Woltemade developed into a star at Stuttgart and why he's been nicknamed after Lionel Messi and is inspired by Harry Kane.

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Having reportedly missed out on Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko this summer, Newcastle United have finally landed a striker to fill the gap left by Callum Wilson, and possibly Alexander Isak if media reports are to be believed.

But who exactly is Nick Woltemade, the 6ft 6in Germany international striker the Magpies have paid VfB Stuttgart a reported fee of £73million for? If you ask Stuttgart captain Atakan Karazor, he's the "Zwei-Meter-Messi" – the "two-metre Messi", although it probably doesn't need translating.

High praise but, in Geordie language, the 23-year-old really does have a "decent touch for a big man".

His first goal for Germany's U21 side highlighted his excellent first touch, as he carefully controlled a fizzed pass before volleying home.

Woltemade's first goal for Germany's Under-21 side

Woltemade also showed his abilities with the first of his three goals against Spain in a friendly ahead of this summer's UEFA Under-21 European Championship

After performing a neat turn in midfield, Woltemade – pronounced "Volter-Marder" – launched a German attack down the left and continued his run. Receiving a return pass on the edge of the box, he quickly nutmegged the defender before chipping the ball deftly over the onrushing goalkeeper.

"Perfect," said team-mate Rocco Reitz, the young Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder. "Not just his goals, but the way he provides an anchor to our game is just brilliant."

"A dream of a goal," wrote German journalist Christoph Ruf for public broadcaster ZDF. "And one which epitomises Woltemade, who is probably the best two-metre-man around, a player to whose feet the ball seems to stick while dribbling."

Inspired by Harry Kane

Woltemade himself, however, was happier with his other two goals – a clinical turn and finish in the six-yard box and a powerful close-range header. "They were proper striker's goals," he said. "I've been working hard on getting into the danger zones where goals are scored."

And the player he looks to imitate most? "Harry Kane," he said. "As a striker, you can learn so much from him."

It was a sign of things to come at the Under-21 Championship in Slovakia at which Woltemade won the Golden Boot with six goals, including a hat-trick against the hosts – even if he failed to score in either of Germany's two games against eventual winners England.

Coming after a season in which Woltemade had scored 17 goals in 33 games for Stuttgart, including five en route to an historic German Cup triumph, it was little wonder that interest was aroused further east in Bavaria.

Frustration in Munich

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again" also appeared to be Bayern Munich's approach – but it was ultimately in vain as the German champions reportedly saw repeated offers of up to €60m rejected by Stuttgart, who had signed Woltemade on a free transfer from Werder Bremen last summer and handed him a contract until 2028 with no buyout clause.

"Is Woltemade really worth €80m?" asked Max Eberl, Bayern's increasingly exasperated director of sport, perhaps trying to save face after already seeing Xabi Alonso and Florian Wirtz slip through his grasp in the last year.

And this summer, Bayern and the Bundesliga have felt the full force of the Premier League's financial firepower, with Woltemade – and potentially soon Bayer Leverkusen's Piero Hincapie – joining a list of players who have moved to England which already includes Wirtz, Sesko, Xavi Simons, Hugo Ekitike, Jamie Gittens, Jeremie Frimpong, Mathys Tel, Amine Adli, Anton Stach, Granit Xhaka, Adam Aznou, Sebastiaan Bornauw, Joao Palhinha, Jacob Bruun Larsen and Lukas Nmecha.

When asked on Friday what the attraction of the Premier League is, Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany laughed and replied with one word: "Money" – before explaining how his Burnley transfer budget had rocketed following promotion in 2023.

"Newcastle are a good club – but they're not in the top category," claimed Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund. "Bayern Munich are still Bayern Munich, but the Premier League is simply in a different league, financially. And not just two or three clubs. It's extreme."

Next stop: Newcastle

Such comments may not go down too well on Tyneside, where Newcastle supporters are entitled to feel excited by the club's record signing – with Woltemade's fee eclipsing even that paid for Isak.

"Woltemade is now in the best league in the world," Bayern and Germany legend Lothar Matthaus told tabloid BILD. "With his stature, I think he'll suit the Premier League well. Now he has to make his mark."

He may even find that easier at Newcastle where he should slot into Eddie Howe's team as a main striker – in contrast to his previous clubs where, surprisingly given his towering height, he still found himself in the shadow of more established striking duos: Marvin Duksch and Niclas Fullkrug at Werder Bremen, and Deniz Undav and Ermedin Demirovic at Stuttgart.

Woltemade should feel at home off the pitch in the North East, too. Hailing originally from Bremen, one of Germany's most northern cities, the former handball player has described himself as a "city person" who "needs the hustle and bustle and the short distances."

The "two-metre Messi" who models his game on Kane will certainly stand out at St. James' Park.