Joe Willock was the match winner in Newcastle United’s massive 3-2 win over West Ham United last time out and according to reports he is intent on staying put in the North East.
The Football Insider states that the Arsenal man has told his teammates that he wants to stay with the club in what could be a potentially significant development in Willock’s future.
The 21-year old has been started from the bench in the last few outings but it is supposedly the amount of game time he has been handed that is the main reason for this interest in joining the Magpies on a permanent basis.
The energy and enthusiasm is a breath of fresh air in our midfield and many Toon fans will join me in saying that wanting Willock to stay with the club are very much mutual.
His pace, direct play and his natural sense of positioning are why Willock has been since a big hit and whilst there are areas of his game that need improvement, he is undoubtedly a very good prospect and would be a brilliant singing.
The deal could come down to whether Arsenal decide to pursue a permanent deal for Real Madrid man Martin Oddegaard which would leave Willock further down the pecking order.
With Arsenal potentially keen to cash in on their academy product and Willock happy to stay at St. James’ Park, the only thing that could scupper this deal is Newcastle’s lack of disposable income in the upcoming transfer market.
It seems unlikely that the Gunners would accept anything less than £20M for Willock and it seems unlikely that we will be parting with anywhere near that amount in the likely reality that Mike Ashley is still the owner come the transfer window.
Similarly to the deal that brought Kenedy back for a second spell, Newcastle may look to take him on loan again but his three goals and good performances since making the move could mean another club could step in and be willing to hijack any move.