Leverkusen wary of 'unorthodox' Woltemade

Bayer Leverkusen and England centre-back Jarell Quansah said his side would pay extra attention to "unorthodox" Newcastle striker Nick Woltemade in Wednesday's Champions League clash.

The former Liverpool defender, who made his England debut in November, faced Woltemade when the latter played for Germany at the U21 Euros in June.

Speaking to media on Tuesday, Quansah compared the 1.98-metre (6ft 5in) Woltemade to two-metre-tall one-time England forward Peter Crouch, but said the German was deceptively skillful.

"He's unorthodox, sort of like Peter Crouch, a traditional sort of taller striker, good at holding up the ball and good in the box – but you feel he's got a lot more to his game than that.

"He's a really good player and someone we need to look out for."

Leverkusen coach Kasper Hjulmand said the "very dangerous" Woltemade was "technically better than he looks," adding "you don't have many players with that size who also have the technical abilities that he has."

Woltemade has seven goals in 19 games since moving to Newcastle from Stuttgart in the summer.

The Geordies visit on Wednesday. 💫 pic.twitter.com/ZubYhBFa5D — Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) December 8, 2025