Newcastle are starting to realize that they didn’t make full use of the summer transfer window, perhaps overestimating the abilities of their squad desptie failing to qualify for European football after making the Champions League in 2022/23.
Manager Eddie Howe showed frustratingly too much loyalty to players who, while useful in 2022/23, were clearly not at the level required to start for a team with Champions League ambitions in an increasingly competitive Premier League.
Aston Villa and Tottenham were on the rise, whereas Newcastle stagnated, and now the Magpies are going to have to make some tough decisions in the next January and June transfer periods in order to bring in better players to compete in the top four again.
According to a report from the BBC and ESPN’s Ekrem Konur, Newcastle are now open to fielding transfer offers for 25-year-old attacking midfielder Joe Willock this winter.
Howe is reportedly willing to consider “substantial” bids, using Willock as a transfer chip that they can parlay the incoming money into a move that will strengthen the squad.
Willock is, like many of his teammates, a good footballer who was a key contributor to the team in 2022/23 (three goals and six assists from midfield) who has fallen off the map recently.
This season, Willock has started just once, which, while one more game than Almiron, makes him another decent player whose stock has fallen. Howe and Newcastle are finally realizing that “decent” is no longer the standard at St. James’s Park.
Willock can be a useful rotational piece for another club, or he can be a strong starter for a team lower in the table looking to ensure safety in the 2024/25 Premier League season.
It’s unclear how substantial an offer would need to be, and that could depend on the options Newcastle see available in the market as upgrades at other positions of need.
It’s tough to say goodbye to likable, hard-working players who have helped the club in the past with their talents, but with progress and evolution in football comes the necessary evil of saying goodbye when the time comes.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.