Bayern Munich’s honorary president Uli Hoeneß has criticised Newcastle United’s spending after the club paid up to €90million (£78m) for striker Nick Woltemade.
The 23-year-old joined from Stuttgart late in the summer window, becoming Newcastle’s record signing as they sought a replacement for Alexander Isak, who departed for Liverpool in a British record £125m deal.
Hoeneß, speaking in Germany this week, said Newcastle’s approach is damaging the sport.
“What Newcastle is doing has nothing to do with football,” Hoeneß said. “It’s like Monopoly – advance to Schlossallee, then some sheikh will come along, and then you can buy.”
The Bayern chief admitted the Bavarian club had also considered Woltemade, but insisted they would not have matched the fee Newcastle offered.
“We offered €55m, Stuttgart wanted €75m. Now they’ve apparently sold him to Newcastle for almost €90m,” Hoeneß explained. “He isn’t worth the 90 million. That only happened because of the money flowing from Saudi Arabia.”
Woltemade scored 17 goals for Stuttgart last season and is seen on Tyneside as part of a rebuilt forward line, alongside Brentford’s Yoane Wissa, following Isak’s departure. But Hoeneß claimed Newcastle’s desperation inflated the market, pointing to a wider trend he called “completely crazy”. Old man yelling at a cloud, anyone?
The 72-year-old urged Bundesliga clubs to resist foreign investment, warning that European football is being distorted by it.
“At some point, people will say: are they completely crazy?” Hoeneß said. “We must show strength and not take the money of the Arabs, the American hedge funds.”
Despite his criticism, Hoeneß admitted Bayern had missed out on both Woltemade and Florian Wirtz this summer because of spiralling costs, but insisted they were “the real winners” by refusing to overspend.
