Newcastle United’s pursuit of Joe Willock looked to be headed for failure as he was in Arsenal’s squad for pre-season friendlies and could have been given a chance by Mikel Arteta to prove his worth, but Emile Smith-Rowe signing a new deal has opened the door for the 21-year-old to return to St James’ Park.
Keith Downie of Sky Sports says that Newcastle are looking to speed up their deal for Willock now Smith-Rowe’s future has been resolved. Steve Bruce said the Magpies are ‘badgering away’ over bringing the midfielder back, so there is a lot of optimism from supporters on social media.
Willock has made 78 appearances in all competitions for Arsenal, scoring 11 goals with four assists, but he’s struggling for first-team football which led to him joining Newcastle in February. The 21-year-old scored eight goals in 14 games, so it’s little wonder the Magpies are so keen.
Willock has Smith-Rowe, Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka, Lucas Torreira, Mohamed Elneny and new-boy Sambi Lokonga for midfield competition, so he should be happy at the prospect of more playing time elsewhere. This could boost Newcastle’s hopes of re-signing him.
In other news, Jamaal Lascelles posts action shots of pre-season friendly
