Steve Howey has offered his thoughts on Newcastle’s potential deal for Arsenal midfielder Joe Willock.
What’s the talk?
According to The Daily Mail, Newcastle are in talks with Arsenal over a £20m deal for central midfielder Joe Willock. The two clubs are in discussions, with Arsenal looking to raise funds to land Leicester’s James Maddison.
Former Newcastle defender Steve Howey has questioned whether or not the Magpies will be willing to pay the fee required to land Joe Willock this month. He told Football FanCast:
“You cannot say that he didn’t do brilliantly because he did, he did absolutely exceptionally well.
“Of course, you can understand the fee that’s been touted about for him. It’s just whether Newcastle are prepared to pay top whack or can they negotiate with Arsenal?”
Bruce needs him
Mike Ashley must sanction a £20m deal for Willock if that is indeed Arsenal’s asking price. Howey is questioning whether or not the club will pay what needs to be paid and the Magpies owner must silence any critics by splashing the cash on a much-needed addition to the squad.
Spending a lavish fee on Willock would show the supporters, and any naysayers, that Newcastle are serious about upgrading their team and have ambitions to climb further up the table. The fans will be frustrated if the club are only interested in avoiding relegation and doing the bare minimum.
Last season, Willock was Newcastle’s standout performer in the second-half of the campaign. He averaged a sublime WhoScored rating of 7.13, which is a higher score than any of his teammates were able to manage.
Only Callum Wilson (12) scored more goals for Newcastle in the Premier League than Willock (8), which shows that the end product was there for him, along with his excellent general play.
Magpies boss Steve Bruce lavished praise on the England under-21 international last season, calling him a terrific athlete after his debut for the club.
He said: “It was a classic midfield player’s goal from the ability to arrive in the box, and that’s what he’s brought us. He can go box-to-box, he’s a terrific athlete, the kid, a typical modern-day midfield player who has the ability to get up and down the pitch quickly and has that added ability to score a goal.”
This shows how crucial he was for Bruce last term and why the ex-Villa coach desperately needs him back at St. James’ Park for the 2021/22 campaign. It is now down to Ashley to prove that he is prepared to spend the funds required to bring him to the club on a permanent basis.
AND in other news, Imagine him and Shelvey: NUFC must pounce on chance to land £100k-p/w “match-winner”…
