It’s no secret how badly Bayern Munich wanted to sign Nick Woltemade, but there was a ceiling to what they were willing to pay in order to get him. Apparently, that ceiling was offensive to VfB Stuttgart chairman Alexander Wehrle.
According to a report from Goal, Wehrle took a “swipe” at Bayern Munich during the club’s annual general meeting, addressing both transfer negotiations and fan support.
Speaking to club members, Wehrle revisited the high-profile transfer saga involving the striker. Despite
rumors that Woltemade had previously settled on personal terms with the Bavarian giants, Bayern’s valuation peaked at €60 million, considerably less than the selling price. Stuttgart held firm on their evaluation of at least €75 million for the attacker before eventually reaching an agreement with Newcastle United, who met, and exceeded, their asking price. Wehrle dismissed any notion that Stuttgart was acting out of spite towards Bayern, explaining that the financial proposal from Munich amounted to little more than “a butter pretzel.”
The Stuttgart executive also took a direct jab at the atmosphere created by the traveling support from Munich. Reflecting on their DFB-Pokal final clash in May, Wehrle claimed that their supporters completely dominated the stadium, and that he couldn’t hear any Bayern fans in attendance.
Stuttgart’s firm negotiating stance ultimately secured a record fee from the Magpies. But on the other hand, Wehrle’s cheeky comments regarding fan noise were clearly designed to rally the local faithful, after his statements were met with “thunderous applause.”
Do you think Stuttgart was right to hold out for €75 million, or did Bayern dodge a bullet with that missed transfer? Let us know in the comments!
