In a recent interview (via The Daily Express), Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce confirmed that he would love to re-sign Joe Willock after his loan spell at St. James’ Park expires at the end of this month. The Magpies head coach said,
“Watching him play you can see a young player enjoying himself and enjoying the freedom that we’ve given to him, the licence to run forward.
“He’s given us something which we certainly didn’t have before. He’s a very, very good player. So I’ve said now for three or four weeks, we’d love to bring him back.
“He’s Arsenal’s player of course, but let’s hope we can test their resolve.”
Willock’s Excellent Loan Spell At Tyneside This Season
Willock has enjoyed a productive loan spell with the Tyneside outfit as he has been responsible for putting in a run of goal-scoring displays at the centre of Steve Bruce’s midfield. The 21-year-old has found the back of the net on eight occasions in 14 appearances for the Magpies this term across all fronts.
The London-born sensation has influenced the game at both ends of the field by averaging 1.9 tackles, 1.2 interceptions, 0.7 clearances, 1.4 shots, 0.6 key passes and 1.6 dribbles per game in Premier League football this season. Willock has even distributed the ball relatively well from midfield, as evidenced by his pass completion rate of 77.1% in the top tier of English football (stats via whoscored).
Will Re-Signing Willock Be A Good Move For The Magpies?
Willock is a young and agile midfielder who can make some clever runs with the ball from midfield. He has a good work rate both on and off the field that has made him such a valuable two-way player in Bruce’s match-day squad in the second half of this campaign.
The English midfield ace has shown great desire to win the ball back for his team and doesn’t mind making up a lot of ground to make a clearance inside his half. He has also added goals to his game recently and deserves a lot of praise for scoring eight times during his time with the Magpies.
Hence, there is no doubt that it will be an excellent move for Newcastle if they can figure out a way to get a deal done for him either on loan or permanently this summer. At 21, Willock is a player on the rise and would undeniably add more quality to Bruce’s midfield department for the new campaign.
With all things considered, the Magpies should consider trying everything they can to re-sign the talented youngster during this summer transfer window as he already knows what it takes to be a consistent player under Bruce’s tutelage.
