In a recent interview (via The Telegraph), Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce has confirmed that he wants to sign Joe Willock from Arsenal permanently when his loan spell expires at the end of this campaign. Bruce was full of praise for the English midfielder and said,
“I believe he is enjoying it here, he wants to be in the team, but he has scored three goals and the last two, particularly the last one [the winner against West Ham] were vitally important. You could see by his elation that he was delighted for the team. He’s a young lad and I’d love to keep him here and we will have some big conversations with Arsenal [about doing that].”
The Magpies manager went on to add,
“We will have to have a conversation with Arsenal first. It’s a bit disrespectful of me to talk about him because he is still their player, but certainly, the move has helped him and it has helped us. If there is something that can be done [to sign him] I would love to do it.”
Willock’s Encouraging Loan Spell At St. James’ Park
Willock is enjoying a brilliant loan spell with the Tyneside outfit after producing some memorable displays for them in the Premier League, which includes his big performance off the bench against Liverpool last Saturday when he came on as a substitute to score a late equaliser.
The 21-year-old has made ten league appearances for Newcastle this term, scoring four goals in the process thus far. The young midfielder deserves a lot of credit for averaging 1.9 tackles, 1.4 interceptions, 0.8 clearances, 0.9 shots, 0.6 key passes and 1.3 dribbles per game in the Premier League this season. However, he needs to be more accurate when distributing the ball in the opposition half as he has completed just 74.1% of his attempted passes in top-flight football during his loan spell with the Magpies (stats via whoscored).
Newcastle Want To Land Willock Permanently: Good Move For Everyone Involved?
Willock is oozing confidence at the moment even when he is coming on as a substitute. He has proven his worth as a tough-tackling midfielder and seems to be enjoying the challenge of earning possession back for his side. The English prospect has also added some goals to his game which has helped the Magpies get out of relegation trouble in recent weeks.
Hence, it makes a lot of sense for Bruce to sign Willock permanently during this summer transfer window. The player can benefit from such a move as he will be guaranteed regular playing time at St. James’ Park in the coming seasons. More importantly, Newcastle need to keep hold of their best players if they want to compete for a top-half finish in the next Premier League campaign.
Willock has undeniably been one of Bruce’s best players over the past few weeks. All in all, recruiting the London-born playmaker on a permanent basis seems like a good move for both the player and the Tyneside in this off-season as he has the potential to become a world-class player in his position someday.
