Newcastle United are exploring the potential prospect of making a January transfer move to re-sign Jetro Willems from Eintracht Frankfurt, according to Shields Gazette.
The Magpies had Willems on loan during the first half of last season and the 22-cap Netherlands international was an impressive performer at St James’ Park down the left-hand side of their defence during his 19 Premier League appearances. However, the 26-year-old’s move was cut short when he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in their 1-0 win against Chelsea back in January.
The defender has only just started to get back to first team training with Frankfurt after recovering from that injury he suffered with the Magpies. He is currently entering the final six months of his current deal with the Bundesliga outfit and it is unlikely that he will be offered fresh terms to remain in Germany.
It has previously been reported that Frankfurt are open to allowing the Dutchman to leave the club in a cut-price deal during the January window, with the German side having hoped to receive a fee of around €12m (£10.7m) during the summer transfer window when Newcastle were contemplating a permanent deal, per Chronicle Live.
It has now emerged that the Magpies are now are exploring the prospect of taking him back to St James’ Park in the winter window, per Shields Gazette. That comes after it has been reported that Newcastle have prioritised the addition of a left-sided defender a in the forthcoming window, per The Sun (22 November, p61)..
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Willems was very much a popular figure among many Newcastle supporters during the first half of last season, providing some entertainment with his ability to carry the ball forwards and offer a threat in the final third. That saw him average 1.1 successful dribbles and make 0.8 key passes per game (Sofascore).
The Dutchman was replaced by Jamal Lewis in the summer and, although the £15m left-back has shown some positive signs since arriving from Norwich City, there are some question marks remaining. Also, Newcastle have a lack of cover for him given Paul Dummett’s injury issues.
Therefore, a cut-price deal for Willems would make sense for Newcastle in January and he could be the right sort of addition to bring in immediate quality who already knows both the league and how Bruce wants his side to operate.
