Overview

• After a summer pursuit by Bayern, a transfer did not materialize as Stuttgart rejected bids and Woltemade remains under contract until 2028.
• Julian Nagelsmann criticized the negotiation being fought in public and warned that roughly 25 percent game time would jeopardize World Cup chances.
• Nagelsmann said he spoke with Woltemade twice, stressing that a Bayern switch is fine only if he plays regularly, quipping he should return in winter if he does not.
• Stuttgart sport director Christian Gentner said Woltemade handled the saga professionally and is fully focused on VfB.
• In the DFB-Pokal at Eintracht Braunschweig, Woltemade came off the bench to score late and convert in the shootout, while commentary faulted his agent’s media interventions for inflaming tensions.