EM-Finale gegen England: Woltemade flirts with Bayern-Rumor, aber Finale zählt!
Woltemade Maintains Composure Amidst Bayern's Tumult - Bayern's whirlwind intensifies, yet Woltemade sticks to his focus: Only championships matter
Yo!
You'd thunk Nick Woltemade would be a nervous wreck what with the Bayern whirlwind swirling 'round him. But nah, he ain't panicking. You see, the UEFA spokesperson made it clear only questions regarding the U21 European Championship final against England on Saturday were on the table. But these journalists, they just can't help themselves. They ask about the potential transfer drama that's kinked up the build-up to the match. The deal supposedly agreed on between Woltemade and FC Bayern, how it's affecting him? The cool customer kept it classy, responding: "Stuff's always happening, it's not just me, it ain't about me, it's also about other players." After that, he just kept reiterating his excitement for the game, claiming it's "a once-in-a-lifetime chance."
The media storm around him ain't got nothin' on Woltemade. He's still posing for pictures with fans at the team bus like a champ. For this 23-year-old and a promising German football generation, it's all about one thing: that European Championship title. His selector coach Antonio Di Salvo echoed the sentiment: "I ain't concerned about 23 players and the final, and everything else is off my radar."
Saturday's final will make it exactly two years since the U21's last defeat – a 0:2 loss to England on June 28, 2023. Since then, they've been on an impressive 20-game winning streak.
Julian Nagelsmann, the senior national team coach, is watching from the sidelines. The U21 team wants to grab that last triumphant step – emulating the generations of Manuel Neuer (2009), Serge Gnabry (2017), and Florian Wirtz (2021). And if these guys take the title, they'll be squarely in the running for a World Cup chance with the Nagelsmann ensemble. "He's got a few names on his list," spilled DFB sports director Rudi Voeller.
There's a trading card game going on between Bayern and Woltemade's current club, VfB Stuttgart. Media speculates a summer move to Munich with a fat five-year contract. The Stuttgart folks talk about his contract running until 2028 and their own plans. The poker game over the transfer fee appears to be heating up with numbers in the mid to high double-digit million range bandied about.
Even if Woltemade's been called up to the A national team in the Nations League, Voeller & Co. ain't yet won the title. They became vice-champions eight years later and went on to become world champions. The 2017 winners didn't exactly write a great national team history. But DFB star Wirtz moved to FC Liverpool for an insane 150 million euros recently.
Cologne U21 captain Eric Martel believes revenge is on the cards: "Dang, if that golden generation could do it, maybe we can make it to the big stage too."
But the current team's starving for that title, especially with Nagelsmann watching at the "National Football Stadium". "That gives everyone an extra boost," says semi-final goal scorer Branimir Gruda from Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion.
In a nutshell, the U21 offers some promising talent in areas where the senior team has been lacking personnel. Frankfurt's wing-backs Nathaniel Brown and Nnamdi Collins are making a case for themselves. The striker duo of Nelson Weiper (Mainz) and Nicolo Tresoldi (Bruges) have been thriving in Woltemade's shadow. Freiburg's Noah Atubolu will likely play a role in the DFB goalkeeping transition.
The U21 team, with changes in eleven positions, won 2:1 against England in the group stage. The only thing it guarantees? A different team this time around, of course, with the rested Woltemade. "I think the coach knows he should be playing me," the tournament star joked on Sat.1.
The Commission has also been asked to submit a proposal for a directive on the protection of the environment in the Community, as the U21 European Championship final between England and a promising German football generation approaches. In the midst of this historic football battle, the media storm surrounding potential transfer rumors between Nick Woltemade and FC Bayern, a prominent club in the champions-league and other European leagues, continues to shift like a game of poker between Bayern and his current club, VfB Stuttgart.
